The Public Procurement Authority (PPA) has introduced training curricula and modules for some selected tertiary institutions as part of initiatives to facilitate the training and professional development of procurement practitioners. The modules will inform the commencement of courses for the award of professional and academic qualifications in procurement in all tertiary institutions in the country. So far, about 265 students have benefited from the use of the curricula and the modules in a three-month internship programme this year. The Chief Executive Officer of the PPA, Mr A.B. Adjei, made this known at a programme to launch the curricula and the modules. He said the curricula and the modules would create avenues for students who offered Purchasing and Supply in the polytechnics to progress in their chosen fields and courses, instead of diverting into other courses or fields. Mr Adjei said, the intensive programme had been instituted by the PPA, with funding from the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), to increase students' interest in procurement-related programmes and also to obtain the relevant practical skills. He explained that under the programme, students were attached to top corporate institutions and paid allowances for their period of study. He noted that to make the curricula and the modules attractive to the public sector, the PPA was working in collaboration with the Public Services Commission (PSC), the Supply and Materials Management Class of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP) and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service (OHCS) towards the establishment of a career progression path for procurement practitioners in the public-sector. He thanked MiDA for its support of $2.3 million for the medium to long-term capacity development programme and other stakeholders who contributed to the success of the curriculum. The Chief Executive Officer of MiDA, Mr Benjamin Esson, said the enactment and implementation of the PPA resulted in the need for the training of procurement professionals to ensure greater economy and efficiency in the procurement of goods, works and services. That, he said, would allow organisations to professionally implement the provisions of the Public Procurement Act. "We look forward to a future of prudent management of the nation's resources stemming from professional procurement practices, particularly at the district assembly level," he stated. Launching the module and the curricula, the acting Chief Director of Education, Prof Paul Buatsi, said the programme would enable students to recognise and describe, the factors associated with the principles of procurement, adding that it would also describe-the role and purpose of the Public Procurement Act 663 of 2003 and competently apply the terminology with the implementation of the Act. The Country Manager of Crown Agents, Mr Sam Brandful, said funding from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, MiDA and the PPA had facilitated the preparation of the building blocks for the fulfilment of the programme. He said in building the content of the curricula and the modules, the needs of private and public tertiary institutions were addressed. Mr Brandful assured all stakeholders that the curricula and the modules had been prepared to meet international standards and recommended that work-related projects be undertaken by students to integrate the knowledge gained from the theory with the reality of work-based problems. Source: Daily Graphic