CAIRO: Rachid Mohamed Rachid, Minister of Trade and Industry issued a decree stipulating that all companies or training agencies working in the field of quality standards to be accredited first by the National Quality Institute (NQI). This decree will compel companies and training agencies to fulfill a number of requirements and earn a certification from the NQI to ensure the quality of the training provided. According to its website, NQI is responsible for spreading and improving the concept and culture of “quality” in industrial, commercial or service sectors of the Egyptian economy and encouraging the Egyptian industry to comply with international standards and criteria. The regulations for accreditation will apply to training and qualification in management systems in the fields of quality (ISO 9001) environment (ISO 14001), safety and health (ISO 18001) and food safety (ISO 22000). Mahmoud Eissa, President of the NQI, stressed the importance of the decision and the problems it resolves. “There are more than 5,000 training centers and agencies in Egypt, and some of them do have sound technical expertise and specialized technical personnel in this area, but there is a recent increase in the number of training agencies who do not offer acceptable standards of training,” Eissa told Daily News Egypt. “Training provided without expertise and technical know-how could lead to harmful practices. Facilities could receive training services without really raising their competitiveness and increasing the quality level of their work,” added Eissa. Eissa stressed the importance of quality certificates explaining that an increase in the number of unqualified trainers and certifiers will eventually lead to quality certifications losing their value. “Some of them also give quality certificates that are really worthless and do not reflect the added value of having been trained in quality standards. This eventually has a negative impact on the structure of industry and society,” Eissa commented. According to Eissa the NQI has been preparing a manual to assist any third party to identify training requirements necessary for approval in terms of technical capabilities, methodologies, and human resources. The minister granted an extension until October 12, 2010 to all training providers to be prepared to meet all of the requirements. After that the decree will ensure that training agencies in Egypt will be certified to train companies effectively enabling them to earn reputable ISO certifications. Eissa said that there are only around 20 companies that issue international quality standard certifications in Egypt. They rest are mostly foreign companies that have branches in Egypt. Tarek Refaat, assistant MD for Administration Affairs & Public Relations at a reputable certification agency, lauded the decision saying it will reduce the number of unprofessional and unaccredited training agencies. “In my opinion, the decision by the minister is a good one, because it will enable them to filter out trainers that do not meet training standards. There are many people going into the field and there must be some form of monitoring of their resources and capabilities using the correct criteria,” said Refaat. “It is always good to ensure better standards of training, and I think this will have a positive effect on industry,” Refaat added.
