CROSQ launches e-learning courses

The Caricom Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) has launched five e-learning courses.

In a media release, CROSQ said the aim of this initative is to engage with academia and bring more quality infrastructure to youth and young professionals.

"If quality infrastructure is to attract the kind of skilled and dedicated professionals that are necessary for the future success of our small island developing states, then it must include partnerships with academia. It must start with an understanding of how the pure and applied sciences, and even the social sciences, taught in our secondary and tertiary institutions can also direct graduates into the specialised field of quality infrastructure,” CROSQ CEO, Deryck Omar, said.

He added that the organisation is also marketing quality infrastructure as a career development path for youth.

CROSQ added the five courses under the 11th European Development Fund Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) project.

The courses are geared mainly towards entry level professionals in quality-related institutions.

The TBT programme started in 2019 and is funded by the EU, through the Cariforum directorate and managed by the German national Metrology Institute (PTB).

Beneficiary to this programme is TT along with other regional countries.

CROSQ said the courses – Introduction to Quality Infrastructure, Standards Development: Essentials; Fundamentals of Metrology; Auditing for Quality Effectiveness and Quality Infrastructure: Marketing Communications – were developed by CROSQ's technical officers.

EU Delegation to Barbados, Eastern Caribbean States, the OECS and Caricom/Cariforum, programme manager, Sheldon Jackman praised CROSQ and its partners on the EUfunded initiative.

"The development of these training courses come in response to recognised growth in demand by firms and other stakeholders in their use of quality systems to meet local, regional and international market requirements," Jackman said. "Professionals in firms and staff of standard bodies who complete this course of study, will benefit from enhanced tools and best practices, in the respective areas of QI and close any knowledge gaps that may exist."

He said this training supports the overall objective of the TBT programme by increasing the use of internationally-recognised quality infrastructure by the regional and national quality institutions and by the private sector.