Class Sessions: Class sessions last for four hours each day, six days a week. Lesson delivery is through instructor-led sessions. The first two hours of the session, termed as “Contact Sessions”, emphasis principles and theoretical aspects of the competency being taught. The subsequent two hours of the class, known as “Hands-on Sessions” allows the trainee to carry out hands-on exercise on the topic(s) of the Contact session under the supervision of the instructor.
Assessment: All courses in the Programme include a structured series of assessment exercises that measure a trainee’s level of understanding of the lessons learnt and also his/her ability to perform the skills in a practical environment. The guiding principles and procedures employed in implementing the assessments are enumerated below.
Separation of Concerns: An essential attribute of all courses in the IsDB-BISEW IT Scholarship Programme is that the party delivering the training is distinct from the party conducting the final assessment. The Training Service Providers (TSPs) are responsible for delivering the day-to-day training while it is the PA and the PC who carry out the final assessment. This operating principle ensures that the trainee’s performance at the end of the training is valid and credible.
Relevance for the Workplace: Assessment for each course consists of particular combinations of units of competency that have been grouped to support the development of identified sets of competencies. Workers in ordinary work scenarios require these sets of competencies.
Non-negotiable: When assessment is conducted according to the assessment guidelines and when the evidence collected satisfies the performance criteria in the competency standards, then the Programme Consultant will recommend that the trainee be allowed to proceed to the next course component. The competency standards, the assessment guidelines and the specification for qualifications are non-negotiable components for training programs under the IsDB-BISEW programme.
Competency-based Assessment: The IsDB-BISEW IT Scholarship Programme has adopted a competency-based approach to assess and report trainee’s achievements in all of its training programmes. This means that trainee achievement is assessed and reported against industry competency standards as prescribed in the Delivery and Assessment Guide (DAG) provided to the TSPs. Industry competency standards describe the tasks performed by competent workers in the workplace. Competence incorporates all aspects of work performance, including problem solving and the capacity to apply skills and knowledge in both familiar and new situations.
