IBS first Jordanian training institution to receive ACCET accreditation

AMMAN ­— The Institute of Banking Studies (IBS), a Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) foundation, last Monday was awarded a three-year accreditation certificate by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET) in the United States of America.

This is the first time a Jordanian training institute has received the ACCET accreditation, according to an IBS statement.

At the regional level, the institute stands as the second in the Arab world to be awarded the accreditation in the institutes’ category.

The accreditation came as a result of the institute’s “pioneering vision in the fields of banking and financial training and development, and its commitment to the implementation of benchmark quality assurance and management standards, in cooperation with some of the most prestigious establishments”, the statement said.

ACCET, a federal US agency based in Washington, was established in 1974 to develop continuous education and training and instil the concepts of quality within foundations and enterprises in the field within the US and beyond, according to its website, where it is also stated that the agency is the accrediting authority recognised by the US Department of Education since 1978 in the fields of education and training.

The accreditation process requires the review and assessment of nine main axes to meet the standards of the ACCET requirements, IBS General Manager Riyadh Hindawi said, adding that these axes cover the mission of the institute, its goals and objectives, strategy, plans, governance, management, financial solvency, liabilities, curricular structures and development, training syllabus and resources, facilitator and trainer qualifications, monitoring systems, admissions criteria and the criteria for instructor employment and evaluation.

The institute applied for ACCET accreditation in cooperation with the Jordan Loan Guarantee Facility, through a grant provided via USAID, Hindawi noted.

On the importance of the accreditation, Hindawi said that it instils the concept of quality and commitment on both the strategic and executive levels of the institute’s operation.

It also helps ensure the implementation of the best international practices in the fields of training and development, as well as the standards and policies of transparent workflow, supported by best practice indices, he underlined.