Directorate of Industrial Training begins assessment of 5,703 candidates

The Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT) successfully started the assessment of the 5,703 candidates on Tuesday. The candidates will be awarded with vocational qualifications.

The exercise which began with a briefing of candidates and all the assessors at the directorate head office and briefing by regional co-ordinators on Saturday will be concluded by Friday this week.

The exercise is aimed at confirming whether the individuals can perform to the standards and qualify for the criteria expected in the workplace.

According to the Deputy Director Assessment Certification, Dr Michael OKumu, the assessment was aligned with the defined occupational competences and standards prescribed in the Assessment and Training Package (ATP).

Okumu explained that the competence based assessment is being made in terms of successful or unsuccessful.

He explained that assessment began with written assessment on Wednesday while performance assessment will be commencing on 7th for the majority of the occupations while others will commence on the 8th of this month.

He revealed that the whole exercise successfully began at 9:00am for morning assessment and 2:00pm for the afternoon assessment and will be completed on Friday.

He explained that the exercise has fully been supported with a team of Police which has ensured security of assessment materials in conjunction with the monitors who are overseeing the assessment activities in the assigned jurisdiction on top of ensuring compliance and making reports of the exercise.   

"The regional coordinators have acted as a link to the directorate from the field during the assessment exercise, worked with monitors, verifiers, assessors and Police while coordinating activities and being custodians of the assessment instruments, "he said.

He advised the candidates to follow assessment guidelines, be orderly and tidy during assessment or else they will be penalised for breach of the guidelines.

"This exercise is being conducted in districts within the four regions of the country with a number of secondary schools being assessed at different levels of occupations," he said.

Okumu appealed to all the heads of assessment centers, assessors and candidates to follow the assessment guidelines and regulations and desist from any form of malpractice.

The Police Liaison Officer, directorate of operations at the Police head quarters, Samson Lubega said Police is determined to guard against any malpractice and theft of assessment materials.

"Our main task in this exercise is to arrest, prosecute and guard against any irregularities, "he said.

Patrick Byakatonda the director of the directorate of Industrial training said the candidates being assessed are both from Government and private vocational institutions.

He advised institutions, individuals to consider registering for assessment to help them get a worker Practically Acquired skills book (PAS)   which shows all the levels of competence of any worker who has acquired skills through working.

"It has a serial number and when scanned it shows that you are under DIT with the photo of a person who has been assessed on top of levels which are  continuous professional development that one can move from level one to level two on the workers pass and does not require anyone to know English, "said Byakatonda.

He said the directorate has helped different workers who gained skills at work to get a workers pass book.