The Engineering Capacity Building Program (ecbp) in cooperation with The Chamber of Skilled Crafts of the Rhein – Main Region (HWK Rhein-Main), as a part of the reform of the quality infrastructure in Ethiopia, has been training people throughout the country to become auditors/consultants of quality management systems. On November 6, 2008, 32 participants from Addis Ababa will receive certificates as auditors/consultants of quality management systems at ecbp, Yewubdar Building on Bole Road (next to Alem Cinema) at 9:00am. These 32 are in addition to 51 who have already been certified in SNNPR, Oromiya, and Tigray. In addition to this group of 83, about 100 more will be certified this year in Amhara, Oromiya, and Dire Dawa.
As the competition for market share is becoming fierce for companies, they need to develop different strategies to stay in business and win customers. To compete successfully in the global market, companies must balance stakeholders’ expectations and continually improve internal efficiency. Quality management will enable companies to improve performance and these trained auditors/consultants will be able to work with companies in order to improve their quality management systems.
This group of over 180 trained auditors/consultants will have the option to work as independent consultants to companies or becoming part of the permanent auditing staff which will make up the new Certification Body being launched by the Quality Standards Authority of Ethiopia (QSAE).
HWK Rhein-Main is working to develop a training concept that takes in to consideration the landscape of Ethiopian enterprises and quality auditors. Accordingly, a twining model in which both enterprises and quality management auditors/consultants gain a theoretical and practical knowledge was developed. Amharic copies of this curriculum were also prepared. The participating companies in the workshops were from textile, leather and agro-processing sectors.
The training is an integral part of the endeavour of building up an accredited system certification service within QSAE. The trainee consultants/auditors will then support the certification processes in every region. So far about 83 participants have been trained and 30 companies were led towards ISO 9001:2000 certification fitness.
ecbp is a national reform program aspired to foster economic development, implemented by the Ministry of Capacity Building and supported by various German development agencies. The Program works towards accelerating development and creating employment opportunities for students through reform of University’s faculties of technology, TVET reform, improved infrastructure of Ethiopian products to be competitive in the world market by upgrading their quality and standards and strengthening the private sector which ecbp considerers to be the engine of development.