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Sultanate of Oman

Ministry of Manpower

An overview of Technical and Vocational Education and Training

in the Sultanate of Oman

THE 12TH MEETING OF THE COMCEC

POVERTY ALLEVIATION WORKING GROUP

October 4th, 2018 Ankara, Turkey

“Skills Development in the OIC: Vocational Education”

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Presentation contents

1 Introduction; Demographics of the Sultanate of Oman

2 The National Program for Economic Diversification

3 Overview of the TVET Governance Structure

4 Technological Education

5 Private Vocational Training Providers

6 Vocational Education and Training

7 Key characteristics of the current TVET system

8 Occupational Standards and Testing and

9 Areas of Further Cooperation

Area309,500 sq km (119,499 sq

miles).

Population (Omanis)

29 September 20182,597, 076 millions

Official language Arabic

Climate

Humid coastal areas, hot

and dry desert, monsoon

climate in Salalah from

June to September.

GeographyA diverse range of

topography; mountains,

Deserts, costal areas etc.

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1. Introduction: Demographics of Oman

Kingdom of

Saudi Arabia

The Arabian

Sea

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Population Pyramid in the Sultanate of Oman in 2017

2. The National Program for Economic Diversification

Started as a pillar in 2020 objective plan.

It aims to contribute to achievement of Oman’s economic diversification

vision by accelerating implementations.

The labor lab and initiatives focus and are divided under

A. Unlocking Demand: laws, Policies, and systems

B. Strengthening supply: human Resource Development

C. Coordination of Demand and supply

“The diversification of the economy, the development of the human skills,

the effective exploitation of the available natural resources, and the

creation of the suitable conditions to encourage the private sector to

perform a greater role in the growth of the national economy – all this will

lessen our dependence on oil.”

Speech of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said on the occasion of the – 29th National Day

Ministry of manpower

Technological Education Vocational Education

and Training

(

Private TrainingProviders

*Musandam technological college soon

3. An Overview of TVET Governance in the Sultanate of Oman

Shinas

Musanna

Muscat

Nizwa

Ibra

Ibri

Salalah

4. Technological Education

Total Students enrolled

till 2017

Males Females

20,145 18,234

Total 38,379

Specializations offered by the Colleges of Technology (CTs)

Number of

specializations Program

15Engineering

7Information

Technology

7Business studies

6Applied Science

1Fashion Design

1Photography

1Pharmacy

38Total

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Year 3

Year 4

On the Job

Training

8-12 Weeks

BTech

(Professional) Labor

Market

Students’ Progression at the Colleges of Technology

Year 1+Year 2

Foundation

Program

On the Job

Training

8-12 Weeks

On the Job

Training

8-12 Weeks

Advanced

Diploma

(Technologist)

Diploma(Skilled

Technician)

Labor

Market

Labor

Market

GPA < 2.5

GPA ≥ 2.5+

IELTS 4

GPA < 2.75

GPA ≥ 2.75

+IELTS 4.5

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The Ministry of Manpower also oversees the provision of training by the

private sector.

Four types of recognized training providers which are : training

institutes, training centers, training units and offices providing training

services.

5. Private Training Providers

Training Centers

Training Institutes

Training Units

Offices of Training Services

Classification of Private Training Providers in

2017

Classification of

Training

Institutes

Institutes’ Classification

Center Units

Offices

Training

servicesAdministrative /

Business

Technical/

IndustrialCraftsman

Number of

Institutes180

16 17 146

Total 359

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Registered Private Vocational Training Certifications till 2017.

Classification of program Number of registered certifications

industrial 2863

crafts 1034

Commercial 4143

National programs 97

IT 3066

languages 7150

Training services 4114

Training offices providers 12914

Total 35381

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Al-Khaboura’s

VCMS

Salalah’s VTC

Shinas’s VTC

Al-Buraemi’s VTC

Ibri’s VTC

Al-Seeb’s VTC

Sur’s VTC

Saham’s VTC

VTC

VCMS

6.Vocational Education and Training

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Major Specializations at VTCs

(They include 24 sub-specializations)

Major Specializations at VCMS ( They include 7 sub-

specializations)

Level 2

General Vocational Education

Diploma PathwayApprenticeship Pathway

Training Programs

Pathway

Grade 10 Vocational

Grade 11 Vocational

General Education Diploma or

an Equivalent

Passing any level qualifies for

the labor market or perusing

vocational or Academic

Education

Passing any level qualifies

for the labour market or

self development or

community service

Level 3

Level 1

Grade 9 and aboveAge group 18-60

Labor market or

Vocational Diploma

Pathway

Grade 9 and above

Vocational Diploma Pathway

Other higher Educational

Institutes or the labor

Market

Vocational Diploma

(Two Years Specialization )

General Foundation

Program

Higher Education Admission

Center

General Education

General Education Diploma or an

Equivalent

• For job seekers

• Upgrading and

skills

development

• Community

development

• Persons with

special needs

Vocational Education & Training Pathways

7.Key Characteristics of the Current TVET System

The Current TVET System can be characterized to be:

• Horizontal and Vertical Progress of entries.

• Caters for different entry levels and skills.

• Caters for different special needs.

• Demand specific.

• Gov & private sector funding (NTF)

• Future planning (fourth industrial revoluation)

Oman Society for Petroleum Services Apprenticeship Pathway

Model

• Introduced in September 2017.

• A coordination between three stakeholders (the

college, OPAL and EAL)

• It consists of 6 levels (2 academic years)

• It aims to qualify the national manpower to

work in oil and gas companies.

8. Occupational Standards and Testing

Occupational standards encompasses the competences required for an occupation

which in turn inform curriculum development by learning outcome approaches.

• 2002 Assigned German agency for international cooperation to prepare a study on

the feasibility of setting up a center for Occupational Standards and Tests.

• 2013 development of 60 occupational standards in collaboration with German

experts (GIZ) to be implemented in vocational training centers’ curricula.

• 2014 collaboration with Bremen University; ( ITB ) institute to design framework

for the development of advanced detailed curricula based on the advanced

occupational standards , train Omani trainers and conduct workshops on curriculum

development .

• 2016-present updating occupational standards in liaison with sectors representatives

and contributed in implementation of apprenticeship in Seeb vocational college.

The Completed

Occupational StandardsThe Occupational FieldsS. No.

3IT Services1

4Computer Aided Draughting2

2Travel & Tourism3

3Sales4

4Hospitality5

4Agriculture6

2Poultry7

4Media Technology8

5Mechanical9

3AC & Refrigeration10

1Drivers11

4Automotive12

3Electrical13

4Electronic14

1Carpentry15

7Construction16

3Fisheries17

3Tailoring18

60Number of completed work

The Ministry of Manpower welcomes bilateral cooperation in the

fields of Technological and Vocational Education and Training

such as:

• Curriculum Development

• Occupational Standards Development

• Training of Trainer

• Quality Assurance

• Exchange of experiences in TVET

Thank you

Sultanate of Oman

Ministry of Manpower

The Link between

Vocational Training and Occupational Levels

Semi Skilled

Skilled

Technician

Professional Lab

or m

ark

et

Streaming of Vocational Education and Training and Technological Education onto Occupational

Levels

Vo

catio

nal

gra

du

ates

Tech

nolo

gica

l

Ed

uca

tion

The MoMP approaches the technician and the craftsman level from a different prospective that is

relevant to the current Omani context.