BACKGROUND

The ultimate goal of vocational education is to improve the skills and knowledge in particular profession. Here in Pakistan most of the students do short courses to be able to get a job otherwise to improve in existing one.

Pakistan is the 5^th largest population in the world and stands on 1^st position in the youngest populous countries globally. One of the largest and youngest population is considered as the strength of any country if it is governed wisely, China is the pertinent example of it.

Unfortunately the employment opportunities for young graduates are merely low. That’s the reason a large number of youth travel overseas to get a reasonable employment to fulfill the need of their families.

In Saudi Arabia almost 2.5 million Pakistanis are working in multiple sectors and a large scale of people try to reach out every day. Till date Pakistan has not yet implemented the law of Occupational Health and Safety which reflects a negative safety culture in industries. Similarly OHS is not being taught in Universities as an independent subject, instead a basic OHS portion is covered in some of the engineering degrees.

This is the reason number of overseas Pakistanis face a challenge of competitive skills and knowledge in particular fields, and one of them is Occupational Health & Safely (OHS) in the workplace.

THE NATIONAL EXAMINATION BOARD IN OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH (NEBOSH)

NEBOSH is UK’s OHS board which is registered in England and Wales as charity organization. NEBOSH has been a UK-recognised awarding body since 2000 and received Approved Awarding Body Status from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) Accreditation in 2009.

SQA Accreditation has a UK wide regulatory remit and quality assures NEBOSH activities and qualifications against published regulatory principles and accreditation criteria. NEBOSH is offering Occupational Health, Safety and Environment qualifications outspreading from Award to Degree level through its more than 600 Learning Partners / Accredited Centers. These centers are offering exams in 130 countries around the globe. More than 400,000 people has gained NEBOSH qualifications over the decades since its inception in 1979 and almost 50,000 join their number every year.

Particular in Pakistan till date, NEBOSH has 19 Learning Partners offering multiple qualification from Award to Diploma level. A full list of NEBOSH Learning Partners can be found from NEBOSH official website.

NEBOSH INTERNATIONAL GENERAL CERTIFICATE IN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY (IGC)

A most demanding qualification in Pakistan.

Alongside the number of NEBOSH qualifications, International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety commonly known as NEBOSH IGC is the most studying qualification offered by almost all NEBOSH Learning Partners in Pakistan. By making a safe estimation, more than 95% NEBOSH students in Pakistan study IGC through Full & Block Release, Part Time & Evening and Open & Distance Learning mode of studies offered by Learning Partners.

Relevant to every workplace, the NEBOSH IGC is ideal for managers, supervisors and anybody with health and safety management responsibilities. It’s also perfect for those embarking on a health and safety career and gives you a stepping stone to success.

NEBOSH IGC is consists of 2 units one is about Management of Health and Safety and other is Risk Assessment. A strong syllabus combination of Management and Workplace Risk Assessment, and a vigorous examination process enable even a fresh student to work efficiently in the field.

NEBOSH IGC Recognition

Holders of the NEBOSH IGC are entitled to Associate Membership (AIOSH) of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). The qualification also meets the academic requirements for Technical Membership (Tech IOSH) of IOSH.

The NEBOSH IGC in OH&S has been accredited and credit rated by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) Accreditation. It sits in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) at SCQF Level 6 with 11 SCQF credit points. SCQF Level 6 is comparable to RQF/CQFW Level 3 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The International General Certificate can be studied in multiple languages including:

• English
• Arabic
• Russian
• Turkish
• Portuguese (European)
• Spanish (European)
• French

NEBOSH IGC for Everyone

Students from multiple academic background including but not limited to Engineering, Business, sciences, Arts, Accounts and Mathematics study NEBOSH IGC to get a reasonable job in Middle East mainly in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Overseas Pakistanis working in Gulf Countries refer their family and friends to achieve this IGC qualification. So that they could make arrangements for their job in overseas. I have been working in NEBOSH Accredited institutions as an NEBOSH Learning Advisor since 2015, in my entire career of being advisor number of students had been qualified NEBOSH IGC and got a reasonable job in Pakistan and Middle East regardless of their academic background.

I personally advise my family and friends and students even who could not get significant academic education to do this particular course to route their professional career within months. Students who visit Gulf Countries being NEBOSH IGC qualified mostly get their job with no hard hunts. Till date nearly 90,000 people have qualified NEBOSH IGC worldwide and thousands are pursuing to make it.

Author:

Yasir Ahmed Choudhry