Trainee Support

Assessment and Certification Process Summary

The Assessment and Certification Office (ACO) is responsible for the coordination of the Institutional and National Assessment and Certification Processes for the Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) System by engaging industry experts.
This mandate is inclusive of both the Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) and the National Trade Testing & Certification (NTTC) Systems, of which Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is mutually inclusive.

Amongst others, these functions include:

Development of policies, procedures and supportive guidelines for the assessment and certification processes and ensuring adherence;
Liaising and establishing partnership and networking mechanisms with the industry, professional bodies, relevant stakeholders, etc
Provision of guidance on assessment processes and requirements to the institution, assessors, moderators, designers, trainees, candidates to be assessed, facilitators, invigilators, etc.;
Determination and inspection of assessment venues, appointment of assessors and moderators, provision for logistics, etc.;
Planning, organizing, overseeing, monitoring and evaluation of the national assessment processes;
Seeking guidance or approval, providing feedback or update on all aspects with regard to assessment to/from the ACD, SACC, Namibia Qualifications Authority, etc.;
Issuing of Statements of Achievement and/or certificates based on credits accumulation within different occupational areas and levels of the National Qualifications Framework NQF;
Compiling, updating, managing and maintaining National Records of Learning for the NQF.

Key Requirements of the CBA

Unit Standards listed on the National Register of Qualifications (NRQ) are the benchmarks for assessment. These are industry-determined specifications of performance that set out the skills, knowledge and attitudes required to operate effectively in a specific industry or occupation.

Assessment for the purposes of national certification must be undertaken by registered assessors and moderated by registered moderators.
Assessment decisions are based on quality evidence presented by the candidate and/or collected by the assessor.
Outcomes are judged as “Competent” or “Not-Yet-Competent” and discourages the terms such as fail by considering what a candidate already knows and can do;
Assessment processes must comply with the principles of validity, reliability, fairness and flexibility, consistency, transparency, authenticity, currency, manageability, sufficiency, appropriateness, openness, systematic approach;
There are multiple assessment pathways that lead to national recognition;
Assessment could lead to national certification, credit transfer or articulation within the national Qualifications Framework (NQF) or could be done for other reasons such as recognition, diagnostic, placement etc; Internal/external moderation/verification processes is part of the quality assurance processes for credibility of the assessment processes.