The NATO Counter Intelligence Centre of Excellence organized a five-day workshop on NATO Quality Assurance. It was an essential step on the way to achieving this educational standard of NATO.
Last year the NATO CI COE applied to NATO Quality Assurance Institutional Accreditation, which was accepted by HQ SACT JFT. The end of this procedure is planned for 2020. It means the Centre must undergo this year the accreditation process, showing its willingness to comply with NATO standards.
The Quality Assurance process is a collective effort of all staff members; therefore, the workshop was held in Kraków in the NATO CI COE headquarter to gain essential knowledge and better understand the problem. It was the first and most crucial step to success. The event was organized thanks to the support of the NATO Military Police Centre of Excellence from Bydgoszcz. The key issues were presented by a specialist in this field, Maj. Mario Huis in ‘t veld, who is also a regular guest speaker in NATO School in Oberammergau. Within five days of workshops, the Center’s key staff was familiarized with the program’s requirements, the essential documents regulating it, and the work scope to be done to adapt internal procedures to the QA criteria.
One of the most significant changes is that because of QA accreditation, CI COE courses will be listed as ‘approved’ by NATO. It means that they may become mandatory for personnel to be assigned to certain positions within NATO. It will help tremendously in spreading the knowledge about CI within the Alliance.
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After the Lisbon Summit in 2010, the implementation of a Global Approach in Education and Training (E & T) required a new orientation in NATO’s training arena. Two years later, the Chicago Summit adopted the Connected Forces Initiative (CFI), which paved the way for a more professional and systematic approach. Based on European standards for Higher Education and carefully adapted to NATO needs, the NATO Quality Assurance (QA) Program for E&T was launched. Quality Assurance for NATO Education and Training is designed to ensure the highest possible degree of quality for all learners while providing autonomy and flexibility to the Education and Training Facilities.