Seminar discusses vocational, technical education in private schools

Sohar: Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) branch in North Al Batinah Governorate organised on Wednesday a seminar titled "Vocational and Technical Education in Private Schools".

The event was participated by a number of specialists and experts, aiming to enhance integration between the educational sector and the labour market and to qualify students with skills aligned with future jobs.

The seminar aimed to raise awareness about the importance of vocational education as a strategic choice, introduce students and parents to its pathways and opportunities, and strengthen the partnership between private schools and the labor market in both the public and private sectors.

The seminar included three specialised working papers and a main session. The first paper, titled "Vocational and Technical Education Between In-Country Value and Oman Vision 2040", was presented by Al Qasim Mohammed Al Harthy, Chairman of the Education, Training and Innovation Committee at Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry, addressing the reality of the sector and its role in enhancing the alignment of outputs with the labour market.

Mohammed Ali Al Wahaibi, Director of the Vocational and Technical Curricula Department at the Ministry of Education, presented the second working paper titled "Vocational and Technical Education for Grades 11 and 12". He reviewed the mechanisms for implementing the system in the post-basic education stage, specialisations in business administration, information technology, engineering, and tourism, as well as admission requirements at higher education institutions.

The third paper was titled "Vocational Education Between Issues, Concerns, and Challenges", presented by Dr. Mussab Ziad Aswad, Deputy Director for Academic Affairs at the Nasser Centre for Science and Technology in Bahrain. During the presentation, he reviewed the sector's challenges and successful international experiences in Switzerland, Germany, and Finland, emphasizing the importance of partnership with employers, governance, and early guidance.

The event concluded with several recommendations, most notably preparing a unified national framework to ensure the quality of vocational and technical education in public and private schools specifying licensing and evaluation requirements, preparing a clear guide for graduates' pathways to higher education institutions, establishing a national system to track graduates, developing an institutional partnership with employers, and enhancing early career guidance.

The seminar was held under the auspices of Dr. Intisar Abdullah Ambusaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education for Educational Programs.