NORTHERN Marianas Technical Institute interim chief executive officer Jodina Attao on Wednesday reported that all findings in the National Center for Construction Education and Research or NCCER accredited training unit audit conducted in March 2019 have been resolved.
All weekly reports were compiled and submitted by training unit representative Wendell Posadas, who has been volunteering his time to work with the institute.
Attao added, “We have been working diligently with the volunteer staff to get all the transition from private nonprofit organization over to public, including getting our government vehicles with government plates and having all of our drivers get government licenses.”
“All the staff that have been coming in have been crucial at keeping the place at least open so that we can accommodate Da’ok Academy and make sure that we keep our lights on and stuff like that,” said the interim CEO.
Master trainer Elizabeth Peredo conducted the audit and found various issues, mainly pertaining to student folders, records, and modules.
In the official audit report signed by master trainer Herbert Johnston Jr. DBA CEP, it was reported that “the overall finding of this audit suggests, despite the best efforts of some of the NCCER certified instructors conducting classes at NMTI to comply with NCCER standards, there exists a serious and systemic management concern with NMTI’s compliance with NCCER’s policies and protocols.”
“This management deficiency is reflected initially in the continued lack of proper filing of all the student and class records in folders beyond the sampled files that were audited in September 2018,” he added.
Johnston said this “deficiency was further underscored in the poor attendance of key personnel during the entirety of the training class conducted during the audit period, in the expressions of genuine concern for the integrity of the NCCER program by instructors, and in the observation and concern of the auditor.”
“The Guam Contractors Association finds this situation very disturbing and, in order to protect the integrity of the NCCER training program and NMTI’s future ability to offer NCCER accredited training classes, the [audit] instructions must be immediately addressed,” Johnston stated.
NMTI was instructed to immediately cease the registering of any classes into the NCCER registry, and submit a draft action plan for compliance with NCCER policies by March 2019.
The plan must include a statement by management of NMTI’s commitment to bring their NCCER classes into full compliance with NCCER policies; a specific schedule of tasks that need to be undertaken, as well as a timeline for each task and the specific person responsible for ensuring the completion of each task; another statement by management that the persons assigned to each task will be given the time and resources to complete the tasks within the timeline; and another statement by management agreeing to the submission of weekly status reports on progress of compliance.
This draft plan was to be submitted, reviewed, and amended as needed, prior to joint approval and acceptance by NMTI management and the NCCER accredited training sponsor.
The approved plan would then be the basis, in part, of a subsequent compliance audit.
Moreover, NMTI management was required to provide a statement certifying that all the necessary training equipment, materials, and supplies to conduct NCCER classes would be readily available to instructors conducting NCCER-recognized classes, including textbooks for all students.
The statement would certify that all classes would be assigned a unique number for control purposes, and all instructors would have a signed contract with NMTI that specifies their responsibilities, deadlines for submission, and contract expiration dates.
It would likewise certify that NMTI respects copyrights and all photocopied copyrighted material in possession has been destroyed and disposed.
NMTI employees are not on the government payroll yet, Attao said, and are currently waiting for the 22nd CNMI Legislature to pass a joint resolution that would allow the establishment of a business unit for the institute.
The institute is also requesting 28 full-time equivalents so that it can reopen and ensure that certified instructors are hired or recalled.
Northern Marianas Technical Institute interim chief executive officer Jodina Attao shakes hands with Gov. Ralph DLG Torres following her appointment to the position in March.
Photo by K-Andrea Evarose S. Limol
