A fact finding delegation from the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) in Kenya visited Forth Valley College recently following FVC’s visit to their headquarters in Nairobi last year.
Jane Kamau, Director Industrial Training and Skills Development, Douglas Momanyi, Assistant Manager Industrial Training Centre, Karoli Otieno, Ag. Manager Labour Migration, Frederick Mbeya, Senior Legal Officer, and Rosemary Odera, Technical Advisor to Principal Secretary of the Kenyan Government’s Ministry of Labour, were welcomed to the Falkirk Campus on Monday 8 December by FVC’s Vice Principal Business and Innovation Colin McMurray and Jamie Allan, the College’s Global Partnership Manager.
NITA is a state corporation with a mandate to promote the highest standards in the quality and efficiency of Industrial Training in Kenya, and ensure an adequate supply of properly trained manpower at all levels in industry. They are keen to collaborate with any other body or organisation outside Kenya, that the Board may consider desirable or appropriate, to achieve their aims.
The trip was organised by FVC’s Jamie Allan and he curated the schedule of events for the group over the week. On Monday, their Falkirk Campus tour included ‘deep dive’ visits to the Salon, speaking with May Tennant, Operations Manager in the Department of Creative, Digital and Leisure Industries, and the distillation plant, where they were given a tour by Graham Kenny, Stem and Construction Lecturer. Scottish Engineering attended and provided a presentation on the sector’s involvement in the skills landscape from Ashleigh Thomson, Member Development Officer.
In the afternoon it was on to the Stirling Campus where Paul Cunningham, Curriculum Manager covering Hospitality, Tourism and Events, and Colin McGeoch, Curriculum Manager Creative Industries, took the delegation on a ‘walk and talk’ tour of the facilities.
On Tuesday 9 December the group visited FVC partner employer Celtic Renewables at their Grangemouth site, and on Wednesday 10 December they returned to the Falkirk Campus to enjoy informative presentations from Zak Stark, Head of Commercial Training on Commercial Training at FVC; Chris Nisbet, Assistant Client Manager on Apprenticeships and Employer Engagement at FVC; and Laura Fraser, Project Manager, Skills Transition Centre on the Skills Transition Centre (STC) and FVC’s use of innovative technology for educational delivery.
On the final day – Thursday 11 December – the group were delighted to hear presentations from Paul White, Transnational Lead and Ghayoor Abbas, Head of Assurance, at the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Partnership. Their day was rounded off by a bespoke video presentation supplied by Rob McDermott, FVC’s Head of Quality and Teaching Enhancement.
Colin McMurray, FVC’s Vice Principal for Business and Innovation, said: “It was a pleasure to meet the Kenyan delegation from NITA who visited the College recently and we were delighted to show them just what our college can offer in the way of training facilities and expertise. I am confident the delegation were impressed with what they saw on their trip, and I am sure it will put the College in a strong position to collaborate, support and meet their needs going forward.”
Jamie Allan, FVC Global Partnerships Manager, who arranged the visit, said: “It was fantastic to welcome NITA to the College following my time there last year, and is testament to their willingness to see for themselves all the great things I told them about Forth Valley College and where we could collaborate. They were incredibly impressed with how we structure, operate and deliver as a college, across many similar subject areas, and in particular are extremely keen to continue the momentum from the strong relationships built over the week with an MOU imminent. More good news to share soon!”
