Regional specialists group to develop micro-qualifications (MQ) for OSEP courses
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The activation of the IAC is an outcome of a partnership between theSecretariat of Pacific Communities (SPC) and ONOC in response to one of several recommendations after a review of OSEP in early 2020.
“The review found that ONOC is not recognised neither as the Sport Industry lead or a training provider under the regional Leaders endorsed PQF (Pacific Qualifications Framework) nor are theOSEP courses registered under the Pacific Register of Qualifications andStandards,” Sainimili Saukuru, OSEP’s Chief Education Officer explains.
Saukuru said that with the influx also of short training provided by sport organisations in the region, there is a need to appropriately develop micro-qualifications and have them recognised.
“This will add value to the certificates acquired by learners, and will enhance their employability,” Saukuru said.
Micro-Qualifications will now be developed for four of the14 OSEP courses this year with the remaining courses undergoing the same process in 2022.
The four courses are (a) Management in Sporting Organisations, (b) Building Better Management, (c) Community Strength and Conditioning Coach, and Development Coach.
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What is a Micro-Qualification?
“A micro-qualification (MQ) is a subset or component of a qualification that is designed to address a specific need for which only certain skill sets are required,” Saukuru explains.
“It is intended to facilitate a change in behaviour that will result in the learner being able to do something that he or she could not do prior to undergoing the training.
The IAC through a series of planned workshops and meetings will provide an industry-based perspective on the quality and relevance of an MQ.
The IAC will also develop training packages in consultation with the Educational Quality Assessment Program [EQAP] within SPC.
IAC Coordinator Appointed
ONOC recently appointed consultant Danny Threapleton to facilitate this process for OSEP.
His key functions are to coordinate the engagement of Sport Industry Advisory Committee (IAC) and manage and consult on the design and development of four sport micro-qualifications, manage the approval of the Unit Standards and Qualifications documents for four qualifications on the Pacific Register of Qualifications and Standards (PRQS) and relevant sport agencies from the region.
He will be liaising with key stakeholders and relevant partners within the region, so you may expect his emails or online calls.
Danny, is originally from the UK, Portsmouth and is a Fiji citizen via naturalisation. He has been working inFiji for 9 years, where he has worked within Youth, Sports and Development across nine of the 14 provinces in Fiji. In his role he managed the department and focused on staff and Community training, project management and development and he is also a Trustee for the Think Pacific Foundation, a registered charity in Fiji.
His background is in Sports Coaching, High Performance and Sports Development, and he has extensive experience in the creation, development and maintenance of new sport development programs as part of Think Pacific. Formal qualifications related to this role include a Diploma in Project Management & Problem Solving, and a BTEC in Sports Management, Coaching & Development. Threapleton is also a Bachelor of Science (Honours)in Sports Coaching (BSc) from the University of Chichester (UK), which he obtained upon graduating in 2013 before embarking on his move to Fiji.
He also has professional qualifications as an OSEP Master Educator based in Fiji, World Rugby & RFU accredited coach, Sport 2 life trainer with UNICEF Pacific and Mental Health within a Pacific context with USP.
The 4 Project Phases
Threapleton has targeted milestones to achieve in his workplan and to date reports that he has completed onboarding the IAC members, developing the project work plan with a schedule of meetings and workshops.
“Phase 2 has now commenced as we’ve now completed our training and learning on how to develop a micro-qualification and we’ve started building the core elements of our MQ's,” Threapleton explains
“Before any workshops or training began, a detailed plan was completed in consultation with ONOC, the PacificCommunity (SPC), and successful IAC applicants.
“After re-evaluation, it was confirmed through the plan that the work of the IAC would be divided into four phases, from August to November 2021.
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“We have now completed Phase 1, theTraining Phase, and are halfway through Phase 2.
“In this phase we have begun building and developing the first draft of our 4 Micro-Qualification documents,”Threapleton said.
The four phases include the (1) TrainingPhase (2) Final Draft Phase (3) Review and Revise Phase and (4) Presentations and Endorsement Phase.
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