How to evaluate VET institutions' development, identify challenges in a timely manner and jointly plan enhancement actions without significant financial costs? The mock accreditation model developed as part of the Erasmus+ QA4VET project provides a practical framework for this purpose.
Mock accreditation serves as an internal development tool for VET institutions. It helps evaluate the strengths and enhancement needs of the institution and its academic programmes (APs), analyse the outcomes of implemented actions and define further steps. It can be used not only as preparation for institutional accreditation but also as a regular mechanism for effective governance and continuous enhancement.
The process involves institutions' management staff, teachers, administrative staff, students, employers and other stakeholders. Their diverse experiences and perspectives provide a comprehensive understanding of existing challenges and development opportunities. This approach transforms quality assurance from the responsibility of a single unit into a shared responsibility across the entire institution.
VET institutions can conduct mock accreditation, relying on their own professional capacities, available data, teacher experience, student feedback and employer input. This enables capacity building for self-evaluation, data analysis and evidence-based decision-making without significant additional costs.
On 13 July, ANQA organised a national dissemination event to summarise the outcomes of the Erasmus+ QA4VET project. The event brought together representatives from the RA ESCS Ministry, the EU Delegation to Armenia, the National Erasmus+ Office in Armenia, Armenian and European project partners, VET institutions and other stakeholders in the education sector.
The QA4VET project aims to support Armenian VET institutions in the formation of effective internal quality assurance systems. One of the key project outcomes is the development and piloting of the mock accreditation model. The workshop highlighted the importance of the continued application of the model.
VET institutions can incorporate mock accreditations of different APs into their strategic plans, define their implementation sequence and systematically monitor programme development. This approach enables the evaluation of the outcomes of implemented changes and timely revision of development actions.
Accreditation is not an end in itself, but a tool for understanding an institution’s current state and development directions. A genuine quality culture is established when self-evaluation becomes an integral part of institutional governance and enhancement is embraced by the entire institutional community.