| Syazwani Hj Rosli & Wani Roslan |
THE Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE) was awarded the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System (QMS) certification yesterday.
IBTE is the first post-secondary institution in Brunei Darussalam to fully incorporate this prestigious international recognition, the Minister of Education said.
“The certification received by IBTE is in line with Brunei’s Vision 2035 that aims to transform Brunei into a nation recognised for its educated and highly skilled people,” Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Suyoi bin Haji Osman noted in his speech during the presentation of the ISO 9001:2008 QMS certificate held at the Longhouse Training Restaurant at IBTE Sultan Saiful Rijal Technical College (MTSSR) Campus in Jalan Muara.
In moving towards this vision and to achieve the national and ministerial Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), the minister stressed that the role of technical education is vital as an important pillar of Brunei’s education system, to stay at the forefront of change and deliver its promise to produce a professional workforce equipped with internationally-recognised technical skills and qualifications.
Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Suyoi bin Haji Osman, Minister of Educa-tion, delivering his speech during the event yesterday. – PHOTOS: AZROL AZMI
Arnaud Torcheux, Vice-President of the Certification Business Line for Asia-Pacific at Bureau Veritas in Singapore, presents the ISO 9001:2008 QMS certificate to Dr Chin Wei Keh, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IBTE, witnessed by Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Suyoi bin Haji Osman, Minister of Education
He also emphasised that IBTE aims towards achieving two quality objectives to ensure 80 per cent of graduates are employed within six months after graduation and 70 per cent satisfaction rate of employers on graduates after six months of employment, as part of its effort in supporting the Brunei Technical Education Order.
“I am confident that being ISO-certified will put IBTE in a more comfortable position to achieve theses aims and by continuing along this path, IBTE can further contribute to the nation’s economic development through ensuring easier job mobility for its graduates who have the competencies that meet the needs of the industries both in the country and the Asean region,” he continued.
The minister urged IBTE to maintain and uphold all the aspects and systems required in sustaining the certification and the positive impact it will bring to the development of the nation.
Also present at the event were permanent secretaries, deputy permanent secretaries, vice-chancellors, rectors, directors and senior officers.
In his opening remarks, Dr Chin Wei Keh, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IBTE, said that the ISO 9001:2008 QMS certification is a pioneering achievement in IBTE’s commitment to produce highly skilled and employable graduates.
“IBTE realises that for a system as dynamic and competitive as technical education, it is important that improvements be made to its processes and operations, ensuring graduates of high quality,” he said.
He noted that international accreditation is the way forward in an increasingly globalised economic system requiring skilled workers, and that IBTE has resolved to make quality part of its work culture.
Dr Chin revealed that the ISO QMS also provides a foundation for IBTE to achieve other international standards, and recently IBTE was awarded with provisional IMO certification for BMA programmes and also TWI (The Welding Institute) for welding and fabrication programmes.
“The success in the accomplishment of this certification underlines IBTE’s continued determination, and the commitment of the management and staff to provide the highest quality products and services to stakeholders, as well as secure its reputation as a centre of excellence for skills training,” he said.
He added, “In future, building on this certification, IBTE hopes to gain more international recognition from other accrediting bodies, in order to achieve its vision of becoming the leading national institution in post-secondary technical education and training by 2018.”
The event then continued with a speech by Arnaud Torcheux, Vice-President of the Certification Business Line for Asia-Pacific, at Bureau Veritas in Singapore.
He praised the dedication of IBTE in demonstrating its compliance with numerous requirements of international standard that push companies across the world for more efficient processes, continuous improvement and focus on customer satisfaction.
“Achieving ISO 9001:2008 is not the end of the road. It is the beginning of your journey that will lead to more efficient operation, higher level of service, more quality and at the end will take your customer satisfaction to a new level,” he said.
IBTE is the first post-secondary institution in Brunei Darussalam to achieve the internationally-accredited ISO 9001:2008 QMS, which shows its commitment towards quality and continuing improvement.
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