The Damelin Education Group, one of SA`s largest private educators, has today announced a partnership with global education giant Edexcel International, in a move that will shift local further education and training (FET) programmes into first gear.
The deal will greatly benefit the local FET sector in developing a recognisable measurement of quality in a segment where few measurement tools exist. This initiates a fresh start for local FET, which has often had to take second place in importance to higher education (HE).
"South African qualifications are of very high quality but this is not always the perception. Up until now there has been no system to showcase or define the quality in educational training in SA, which is why this relationship with Damelin is of such great value to local students," says Rick Firth, Edexcel Global BTEC Director.
"Through this partnership we will benchmark certain key FET courses that Damelin already offers, to similar courses in the UK. By doing this Edexcel will confirm that these local courses are indeed of international standard, and for the first time South African students will be guaranteed of receiving vocational qualifications that are both locally and internationally quality guaranteed," he adds.
According to Damelin Academic Administration Executive, Fiona McDonald, this partnership is of great importance because it ensures Damelin valuable international association, adding further credibility to the courses already available.
"There has always been a great emphasis on the importance of obtaining a degree from a tertiary institution. But neglecting skills-based and vocational qualifications like tourism or public relations has caused an unnecessary divide between graduates who hold a degree and school leavers who enter the job market without any qualification. All this is about to change," she adds.
"In an emerging economy like SA, vocational training such as those offered in many of the Damelin and Edexcel FET programmes is of critical importance to school leavers and employers. In recent times we have seen increasing emphasis being placed on skills-based qualifications, and our new association with Edexcel makes it possible to ensure such qualifications match global standards," she says.
According to Firth, the local economy also stands to benefit from this partnership because by benchmarking South African courses, multinational companies that seek to invest in the country can rest assured that locally qualified employees are just as capable as their international counterparts. Local companies can also be certain that their employees are able to compete favourably in the global market. "The beauty of this agreement is that it cements Edexcel`s commitment to SA. By entering a relationship with a private provider as large as the Damelin Education Group, we are committing ourselves to the local market, and this is a market with unlimited potential. Edexcel is delighted to be part of the ongoing journey of improvement within South African education."
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The Damelin Education Group is a leading private provider of both HE and FET programmes in SA and the rest of Africa with over 30 000 students enrolled on all its campuses. Divisions within the group include Damelin, Milpark Business School, the Midrand Graduate Institute and CityVarsity.
Edexcel
Edexcel is the UK`s largest awarding body offering the joint currencies of academic and vocational qualifications in the UK and across 112 countries worldwide. Over 2.5 million entries were made for Edexcel`s qualifications, which include GNVQs, NVQs, international GCSE, A/S and A levels, and the suite of BTEC qualifications including the BTEC Higher National Certificate and Diploma.
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