STA training programmes validated |28 October 2016
Ms Ernesta addressing the meeting
All the 10 training courses being offered by the Seychelles Tourism Academy (STA) are now internationally recognized.
The Seychelles Qualifications Authority (SQA) made the announcement to the institution’s management and staff during a meeting at the academy at La Misère yesterday morning.
The validation process started over seven years ago.
The validated programmes are:
• Advanced Diploma in Hospitality Management (ADHM)
• Advanced Certificate in Food Preparation and Culinary Arts
• Advanced Certificate in Reception Operations and Services
• Advanced Certificate in Restaurant and Bar
• Advanced Certificate in Tourism and Tour Guiding
• Advanced Certificate in Wellness and Spa
• Certificate in Food Preparation and Culinary Arts
• Certificate in Reception Operations and Services
• Certificate in Restaurant and Bar
• Certificate in Accommodation Operations and Services.
The chief executive of the SQA, Fiona Ernesta, congratulated the STA for all the hard work put in the process and its eventual outcome.
Ms Ernesta said the qualification process was fraught with difficulties including identifying the right persons to lead the validation process within the STA.
“But we collaborated. There have been disappointments but we have striven to ensure all programmes offered by the STA reach the standard for the SQA to award whole validation. The STA has all its 10 programmes fully validated.
But what next now? Ms Ernesta said the STA has to maintain the standard.
“The SQA will be monitoring compliance with quality assurance requirements. STA will need to keep records of everything as well as evidence as the SQA will evaluate students’ learning and analyse records,” Ms Ernesta said, adding that the validation is for five years.
She noted that if standards are not maintained the SQA reserves the right to withdraw validation .
“This is not to punish the STA but to ensure the education landscape in Seychelles is at par with international standards, we need to maintain standards. After all we are safeguarding the interests of our students so we need to ensure quality,” she said.
Ms Ernesta went on to note that as part of the validation process the STA has developed and put in place many quality assurance structures within the institution to meet teaching and learning standards and programme development.
Tracing back the long road leading up to the STA’s great achievement, its principal Flavien Joubert said the institution has been working hard towards this goal for over seven years now.
“I am really very happy that we have taken our time and we have delivered,” he said.
Mr Joubert compared the process that the academy has gone through to that of a pilot “because we all know that one cannot fly an aeroplane if not fully qualified, one will crash just like one cannot drive a car without going through the learning process during which one could fail once, twice or several times before eventually obtaining a driving licence”.
He noted that the process has been long, hard, difficult and demanded a lot from the management and staff of the STA.
Mr Joubert availed of the opportunity to congratulate the team at the SQA currently being led by chief executive Fiona Ernesta for a job well done.
Kathleen Harisson and Marion Etienne, two senior members of the STA management currently following a Masters Degree at the University of Seychelles, spearheaded the process.
Mr Joubert commended and congratulated them for their hard work and also expressed gratitude for the contributions of the academic team of the STA as well as the support, encouragement of the support staff.
But Mr Joubert stressed that now with the successful validation of all its courses, the STA needs to sustain this achievement and this through quality teaching, learning and the success of the students.
During the meeting yesterday Mr Joubert also announced the appointment of Diana Quatre, the current director of Advanced Diploma in Hospitality Management (ADHM) department who has just completed her Masters’ degree as deputy principal and also acknowledged and congratulated three other senior staff – Mamoona Ahmad Aloum, Brigitte Joubert, Erica Rath – on the completion of their Masters Degree at universities abroad.
Mr Joubert noted that two other staff members are currently following Masters degree courses at the University of Seychelles and will eventually join the senior management team of the STA.