Quality Assurance Parameters for Certification, Affiliation, Accreditation IT-ITeS Sector Skills ...

161 Pages·2014·4.59 MB·English

Quality Assurance Parameters for
Certification, Affiliation, Accreditation
IT-ITeS Sector Skills Council NASSCOM
PROJECT AND ADVISORY BOARD
Project Board: The Project Board is responsible for developing the concept,
approach, and methodology used in developing the recommendations. The Project
Board will also review the document and provide comments for improvements. The
following table lists the members of the Project and Advisory.
Table 1: Project Board
Name Company Designation
Mr. Nilaya Varma Accenture Pvt Ltd Managing Director, H&PS, India
Mr.Partha Kundu PwC Executive Director
Executive Director Marketing, Geo
Mr. Anil Menon IBM Expansion & GB IBM Software, India/
South Asia
Mr.Srikantan Moorthy Infosys Global Head HR
Ms.Vani Bhambri
NABCB, QCI Assistant Director
Arora
Deputy Head - Global Learning &
Mr.Vidyut Nevalkar TCS
Development
IT-ITeS SSC Executive Director SSC NASSCOM &
Dr Sandhya Chintala
NASSCOM VP NASSCOM
Mr.Dilip Chenoy NSDC CEO/MD
Mr.Vivek Nicholas Country Manager
EXIN
Joseph
Advisory Board: In addition to the Project Board, there is an Advisory Board. The
Advisory Board is
responsible for sharing the best practices and current framework in the field of
certification and accreditation. The following table lists the members of the Advisory
Board.
Name Company Designation
Mr. Anil Jauhri NABCB(QCI) CEO
Dr D.K. Paliwal NBA Member Secretary
Dr Gargi Keeni TCS Vice President (Rtd)
Mr.Basab Banerjee NSDC Head Standards & QA
Mr Rajiv Mathur NSDC Principal - Standards and QA
Table 2: Advisory Board
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SCOPE OF THE DOCUMENT
This document describes frameworks for creation and implementation of standards for
the
Certification,
Accreditation,
and, Quality Assurance
of Occupational Standards and Qualification Packs in India
It describes practices followed globally and recommends processes for defining and
deploying these systems in India.
The document is divided into 2 sections:
– Section 1: Frameworks for certification, accreditation, and quality assurance
processes for the creation of standards
– Section 2- Quality Assurance Procedure for deployment of occupational
standards / Qualification Packs
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROJECT AND ADVISORY BOARD.........................................................................2
SCOPE OF THE DOCUMENT..................................................................................3
TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................................................4
TABLE OF FIGURES.............................................................................................7
GLOSSARY.........................................................................................................9
1. PROLOGUE ...................................................................................................11
2. FOREWORD...................................................................................................15
3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................17
3.1. BRIDGING THE SKILL GAP IN INDIA.......................................................................................17
3.2. IT-ITES SSC NASSCOM INITIATIVE ...................................................................................17
3.3. AUDIENCE FOR THE DOCUMENT .........................................................................................18
3.4. CERTIFICATION, AFFILIATION, AND THE ACCREDITATION ECOSYSTEM...........................................19
3.5. INTRODUCTION TO ACCREDITATION......................................................................................20
3.6. INTRODUCTION TO AFFILIATION............................................................................................20
3.7. INTRODUCTION TO CERTIFICATION........................................................................................20
3.8. A COMPARATIVE VIEW OF ACCREDITATION, AFFILIATION, AND CERTIFICATION...............................21
3.9. ACCREDITATION PROCESS ...............................................................................................22
3.10. AFFILIATION PROCESS .....................................................................................................25
SECTION 1: FRAMEWORKS FOR CERTIFICATION, ACCREDITATION, AND QUALITY
ASSURANCE PROCESSES FOR THE CREATION OF STANDARDS.................................26
4. GLOBAL FRAMEWORK FOR SETTING STANDARDS............................................27
4.1.1. ACCREDITATION MODELS................................................................................................28
4.1.2. ACCREDITATION BODIES..................................................................................................31
4.1.2.1. GLOBAL ACCREDITATION AND CERTIFICATION BODIES........................................................31
4.1.3. ALIGNMENT OF ACCREDITATION MODELS AND ACCREDITING BODIES ......................................33
4.1.4. STANDARDS SETTING BODY – ISO....................................................................................36
4.1.4.1. WHAT IS ISO?...........................................................................................................36
4.1.4.2. ISO STRUCTURE AND GOVERNANCE ..............................................................................37
4.2. ALIGNMENT OF ISO AND ACCREDITATION BODIES: ISO AGREEMENT WITH IEEE – A CASE STUDY....40
5. PRESENT INDIAN FRAMEWORK FOR CERTIFICATION AND ACCREDITATION .......43
5.1. PRESENT INDIAN FRAMEWORK FOR AFFILIATION, CERTIFICATION, AND ACCREDITATION...................43
5.1.1. CURRENT ACCREDITATION BODIES....................................................................................43
6. RECOMMENDATIONS: AFFILIATION, CERTIFICATION, AND ACCREDITATION
STANDARDS........................................................................................................46
STANDARDS FOR STANDARD SETTING BODY: SECTOR SKILLS COUNCIL (SSC)....................................46
6.1. STANDARDS FOR THE STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT BODY: SSC .................................................47
6.1.1. INTRODUCTION TO SECTOR SKILLS COUNCIL.......................................................................47
6.1.2. ROLE OF SECTOR SKILLS COUNCIL INTERNATIONALLY ...........................................................47
6.1.3. SECTOR SKILLS COUNCILS IN INDIA...................................................................................48
6.1.3.1. ROLE OF SECTOR SKILLS COUNCIL IN INDIA.....................................................................48
6.1.4. QUALITY ASSURANCE STANDARDS FOR GOVERNANCE AND OPERATIONS OF SSC ......................49
6.1.4.1. DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION – SECTOR SKILLS COUNCIL..................................................49
6.1.4.1.1. ABOUT THE STANDARD:............................................................................................50
6.1.4.1.2. KEY HIGHLIGHTS:....................................................................................................51
STANDARDS–PROCESS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL STANDARDS (OS) & QUALIFICATION PACKS
(QP)........................................................................................................................................57
6.2. STANDARDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL STANDARDS (OS)..................................57
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6.2.1. WHAT ARE OCCUPATIONAL STANDARDS?...........................................................................57
6.2.2. QUALITY ASSURANCE PARAMETERS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF OS.........................................59
6.2.2.1. SETTING UP OF THE PROJECT BOARD.............................................................................59
6.2.2.2. DRAFTING A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) DOCUMENT: .................................................59
6.2.2.3. VENDOR SELECTION PROCESS.......................................................................................60
6.2.2.4. DRAFTING MOU.........................................................................................................62
6.2.2.5. INCEPTION REPORT DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................62
6.2.2.6. IDENTIFICATION OF ECO SYSTEM FOR THE VALIDATION OF OS.............................................71
6.2.2.7. PROCESS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL STANDARD.........................................75
STANDARDS FOR PERSONNEL CERTIFICATION...............................................................................80
STANDARDS FOR CERTIFICATIONS AND AUDITORS.........................................................................80
6.3. STANDARDS FOR PERSONNEL CERTIFICATION ........................................................................81
6.3.1. ROLE OF CERTIFICATION BODIES AND ASSESSORS................................................................81
6.3.2. PROCESS OF ASSESSMENT FOLLOWED BY THE CERTIFICATION BODY........................................81
6.3.3. QUALITY ASSURANCE PARAMETERS TO BE FOLLOWED BY CERTIFICATION BODY..........................82
6.3.3.1. ABOUT THE STANDARD - ISO17024..............................................................................82
6.3.3.2. KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF STANDARD – ISO17024..................................................................82
6.3.3.3. REQUIREMENTS OF CERTIFICATION BODIES......................................................................83
6.3.3.4. REQUIREMENTS FOR PERSONS EMPLOYED OR CONTRACTED BY A CERTIFICATION BODY............85
6.3.4. QUALITY ASSURANCE PARAMETERS FOR AUDITORS...............................................................87
6.3.4.1. GENERIC PARAMETERS FOR AUDITORS............................................................................87
6.3.4.2. PARAMETERS DEFINED BY ISO 19011:2002 AND ISO 17021:2011.................................88
6.3.4.3. INDUSTRY SPECIFIC PARAMETERS...................................................................................88
6.4. STANDARDS FOR AFFILIATION OF LICENSE TRAINING PROVIDERS (LTPS) .....................................89
6.4.1. INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................89
6.4.2. INTRODUCTION TO AFFILIATION OF LTPS............................................................................90
6.4.3. BENEFITS OF ACCREDITATION OF LTPS..............................................................................90
6.4.4. QUALITY ASSURANCE PARAMETERS FOR INFORMAL LTPS AS PER ISO STANDARDS 29990...........92
6.4.4.1. THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE LEARNING SERVICE PROVIDERS ARE:.......................................92
6.4.4.2. MANAGEMENT OF THE LEARNING SERVICE PROVIDERS.......................................................94
6.4.5. QUALITY ASSURANCE PARAMETERS FOR FORMAL LTPS.........................................................97
6.4.6. PROCESS FOR AFFILIATION OF LTPS................................................................................101
6.4.7. PROCESS FOR THE CERTIFICATION OF TRAINERS OF LTPS....................................................103
STANDARDS FOR ACCREDITATION OF COURSES..........................................................................104
6.5. STANDARDS FOR ACCREDITATION OF COURSES W.R.T OS......................................................105
6.5.1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................105
6.5.2. QUALITY ASSURANCE PARAMETERS FOR THE INPUTS TO THE ACCREDITATION COURSE...............105
6.5.3. PROCESS FOR THE ACCREDITATION OF COURSES...............................................................108
STANDARDS FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES FOR CERTIFICATION OF TRAINING PROVIDERS......................110
6.6. STANDARDS FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES.............................................................................110
6.6.1. ROLE OF CERTIFICATION BODIES.....................................................................................110
6.6.2. QUALITY ASSURANCE PARAMETERS FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES............................................111
6.6.3. DETAILED QUALITY ASSURANCE PARAMETERS FOR CERTIFICATION BODIES..............................112
6.6.3.1. ABOUT THE STANDARD ISO 17021.............................................................................112
6.6.3.2. KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF STANDARD ISO 17021.................................................................112
6.6.4. CONCLUSION:.............................................................................................................115
ANNEXURE TO SECTION 1...............................................................................116
7. ANNEXURE TO SECTION 1.............................................................................117
7.1. REFERENCES..................................................................................................................117
7.2. DOCUMENT CONVENTIONS................................................................................................119
7.3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ..............................................................................................120
7.4. LANGUAGE STRATEGY......................................................................................................120
SECTION 2: QUALITY ASSURANCE PROCEDURE FOR DEPLOYMENT OF
OCCUPATIONAL STANDARDS / QUALIFICATION PACKS..........................................121
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INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................125
STEP 0: QP/JOB ROLES DEVELOPMENT AND THEIR AVAILABILITY.......................128
STEP 1: DEVELOPMENT OF COURSEWARE AND COURSE CONFORMITY...............129
1.1. OBJECTIVE.....................................................................................................................129
1.2. PROCESS FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE OF COURSEWARE............................................................130
1.3. GUIDELINES FOR COURSE CONFORMITY...............................................................................132
1.4. ADVANTAGES OF QA GUIDELINES FOR COURSE DEVELOPMENT AND CONFORMITY.......................133
1.5. GOVERNANCE PLAN........................................................................................................133
1.6. APPLICABLE STANDARDS..................................................................................................133
STEP 2: IDENTIFICATION AND AFFILIATION/CERTIFICATION OF RELEVANT
TRAINERS AND TRAINING INSTITUTIONS.............................................................134
2.1. OBJECTIVE....................................................................................................................134
2.2. PROCESS FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE OF CERTIFICATION/AFFILIATION OF TRAINERS AND TRAINING
INSTITUTIONS...........................................................................................................................135
2.3. GUIDELINES FOR AFFILIATION/CERTIFICATION OF TRAINING PROVIDERS ....................................136
2.4. ADVANTAGES OF HAVING QA PROCESS FOR ACCREDITATION/CERTIFICATION OF TRAINING PROVIDERS
............................................................................................................................................137
2.5. GOVERNANCE PLAN........................................................................................................137
2.6. APPLICABLE STANDARDS.................................................................................................137
STEP 3: CERTIFICATION OF ASSESORS AND THEIR PROFICIENCY REGARDING QP
AND NOS...........................................................................................................138
3.1. OBJECTIVE....................................................................................................................138
3.2 PROCESS FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE OF ASSESSMENT OF PROFICIENCY......................................139
3.3 GUIDELINES FOR THE ASSESSMENTS PROCESS......................................................................140
3.4 ADVANTAGES OF A QA PROCESS FOR ASSESSMENTS.............................................................141
3.5. GOVERNANCE PLAN.......................................................................................................142
3.6. APPLICABLE STANDARDS.................................................................................................142
STEP 4: MAINTENANCE OF INFORMATION ON SSC WEBSITE..............................143
4.1. OBJECTIVE....................................................................................................................143
4.2 PROCESS FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE FOR MAINTENANCE OF INFORMATION ON SSC WEBSITE..........144
4.3. GUIDELINES FOR MAINTENANCE OF INFORMATION ON SSC WEBSITE........................................145
4.4. ADVANTAGES OF MAINTENANCE OF INFORMATION ON SSC WEBSITE.......................................145
4.5. GOVERNANCE PLAN.......................................................................................................145
4.6. APPLICABLE STANDARDS..................................................................................................145
OVERALL PROCESS FOR ACCREDITATION AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT...........146
FINANCIALS...................................................................................................147
ANNEXURE TO SECTION 2...............................................................................148
ANNEXURE A: CHECKLIST FOR TRAINING PROVIDERS – STAR PROGRAM.........................................149
ANNEXURE B: QUALIFICATION PACKS COURSEWARE / ASSESSMENT PROVIDER .................................154
ANNEXURE C: SAMPLE ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE..........................................................................156
ANNEXURE D: GLOBAL ACCREDITATION BODIES..........................................................................159
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TABLE OF FIGURES
FIGURE 1: THE ‘SECTOR SKILL COUNCIL 'CONTEXT: BRIDGING THE SKILL GAP.........17
FIGURE 2:ITES SSC – NASSCOM INITIATIVE............................................................18
FIGURE 3: AUDIENCE OF THE DOCUMENT..............................................................18
FIGURE 4: CERTIFICATION, AFFILIATION AND ACCREDITATION ECOSYSTEM.............19
FIGURE 5: ACCREDITATION PROCESS AS APPLICABLE TO EDUCATION......................22
FIGURE 6: AFFILIATION PROCESS..........................................................................25
FIGURE 7: GLOBAL FRAMEWORK FOR SETTING STANDARDS...................................27
FIGURE 8: GLOBAL ACCREDITATION MODELS.........................................................28
FIGURE 9: SPREAD OF GLOBAL ACCREDITATION AND CERTIFICATION BODIES..........31
FIGURE 10: ACCREDITATION MODEL APPLICABILITY TREND....................................34
FIGURE 11: ACCREDITATION MODELS APPLICABILITY IN COUNTRIES.......................35
FIGURE 12: ISO STRUCTURE AND GOVERNANCE.....................................................39
SOURCES:............................................................................................................39
4.ISO AND CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT, ISO...........................................................39
FIGURE 13: INDIAN CERTIFICATION AND ACCREDITATION FRAMEWORK...................43
SOURCES: ...........................................................................................................43
...........................................................................................................................49
FIGURE 15: ROLE OF SECTOR SKILL COUNCIL IN INDIA...........................................49
FIGURE 16: STANDARDS SETTING ORGANIZATION REQUIREMENTS .........................50
FIGURE 17: STANDARD SETTING ORGANIZATION REQUIREMENTS REFERENCE.........51
FIGURE 18: STRUCTURE OF NSDC – PARENT BODY OF SECTOR SKILLS COUNCILS
INDIA..................................................................................................................52
FIGURE 19: 32 PROPOSED SECTOR SKILL COUNCIL STRUCTURE INDIA.....................52
FIGURE 20: RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS FOR STANDARD SETTING ORGANIZATION....53
FIGURE 21: IT-ITES SECTOR SKILLS COUNCIL NASSCOM STRUCTURE INDIA..............53
FIGURE 22: PROCESS TO ENSURE QUALITY IN OS DEVELOPMENT............................58
FIGURE 23: MOU DESCRIPTION.............................................................................62
FIGURE 24: PROCESS STEPS OF OS DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP..............................65
FIGURE 25: KEY COMPONENTS OF AN OS...............................................................65
FIGURE 26: TEMPLATE FOR PRESENTING SECTOR LEVEL FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS.....68
FIGURE 27: TEMPLATE FOR SUB-SECTOR LEVEL FUNCTIONAL MAP IN EXCEL FORMAT
...........................................................................................................................69
FIGURE 28: TEMPLATE FOR JOB ROLE LEVEL FUNCTIONAL MAP...............................69
FIGURE 29: TEMPLATE FOR OCCUPATIONAL MAP...................................................70
SOURCE: SSC NASSCOM.......................................................................................70
FIGURE 30: TEMPLATE FOR OCCUPATIONAL MAP DETAILED IN
EXCEL FORMAT....................................................................................................71
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SOURCE: SSC NASSCOM.......................................................................................71
FIGURE 31: OS COLLECTION AND VALIDATION PROCESS.........................................72
FIGURE 32: VALIDATION GROUPS FOR OS..............................................................74
FIGURE 34: DETAILED OS DEVELOPMENT PROCESS................................................77
FIGURE 35: CERTIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION PROCESS.....................................81
FIGURE 36: REQUIREMENTS OF CERTIFICATION BODY............................................83
FIGURE 37: FORMAL AND INFORMAL LTPS DEFINITION...........................................90
FIGURE 38: REQUIREMENTS FOR LEARNING SERVICE PROVIDERS............................92
FIGURE 39: MANAGEMENT OF LEARNING SERVICE PROVIDERS................................94
THE DETAILS OF THE MANAGEMENT OF LEARNING SERVICE PROVIDERS ARE SHARED
BELOW:...............................................................................................................94
FIGURE 40: ROLE OF CERTIFICATION BODY..........................................................111
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GLOSSARY
Term Meaning
 Accreditation is a process in which certification of competency,
authority, or credibility is presented. It is the act of granting credit
or recognition (especially with respect to educational institutions)
that maintains suitable standards.
 Third-party attestation related to a conformity assessment body
conveying formal tasks – ISO 17000 (as applicable to conformity
assessment).
Accreditation Body: An external body that makes decisions on quality
standards and evaluates an educational institution and its courses
Accreditat (higher education institution) with reference to the approved quality
ion standards (as applicable to education).
To ‘affiliate’ means to attach oneself or bring into close association or
connection. All colleges in India need to be affiliated to a University to be
able to award degrees under the brand name of that University unless
Affiliation otherwise constituted.
Certificati Certification is an evaluation of a person, organization, system,
on process, enterprise, project, or product. The purpose of a certification is
to provide a measurement rather than to express an opinion about the
fairness of statements or quality of performance.
Quality certifications are performed to verify conformance to
standards through review of objective evidence.
A system of quality certifications may verify the effectiveness of a
quality management system. This is a part of certifications such as ISO
9001. Quality certifications are essential a) to verify the existence of
objective evidence showing conformance to the required processes, b)
to assess how successfully processes have been implemented, c)to
judge the effectiveness of achieving any defined target levels, d) to
provide evidence concerning reduction and, e) to eliminate problem
areas and are a hands-on management tool for achieving continual
improvement.
Quality certifications not only report non-conformance and corrective
actions but also highlight areas of good practice and provide evidence of
conformance, enhancing continual improvement.
An operations certification is an examination that thoroughly
examines the efficiency, effectiveness, and economy of the operations
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with which the management of the entity (client) is achieving its
objective.
Operational certifications cover any matters which may be commercially
unsound. The objective of operational certification is to examine]:
•
Effectiveness – doing the right things with least wastage of
resources
• Efficiency – performing work in least possible time
• Economy – balance between benefits and costs to run the
operations.
OS Occupational Standard
ISO International Organization for Standardization
ABET Accreditation Board for Engineering & Technology
ACQUIN Accreditation, Certification, and Quality Assurance Institute
NBA National Board of Accreditation
HLC Higher Learning Commission
ATMAE Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
ACICS Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools
IOE Institute of Engineers
ACCET Accrediting Council for Continuing Education & Training
EUR-ACE Framework Standards for Accreditation of Engineering Programs
TSI Trading Standards Institute
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