When you choose a vocational course at the Vocational Training Institute of Make IT For Africa (MIFA), each speciality lists the qualification it leads to. Here is what those letters mean, so you know what you are working towards before you enrol.
Two ministry qualifications for long courses
Long courses at the Institute prepare you for one of two qualifications from Cameroon's Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, known by its French initials, MINEFOP. The French abbreviations are the ones you will usually see.
DQP: Vocational Qualification Diploma
The DQP (Diplôme de Qualification Professionnelle) is for trades whose training programme has been harmonised nationally. At the end of the course you sit a national examination set by the ministry. At MIFA, every speciality in the Department of Computing and Information Technology leads to a DQP, as do trades such as masonry, plumbing and building electrification.
CQP: Vocational Qualification Certificate
The CQP (Certificat de Qualification Professionnelle) is for trades whose programme has not yet been harmonised nationally, and which each training centre runs itself. The Institute's trainers set the examination, the ministry supervises it, and the certificate is still issued by the ministry. The Psychosocial Aid Worker course in the Department of Social Studies leads to a CQP.
Attestations for shorter training
Not all training is a long course. Short practical courses run from a few days or weeks to a few months on specific skills. They lead to an Attestation of Vocational Qualification, issued by the Institute without ministry supervision.
Training designed around your needs leads to a Customised Competency-Based Attestation. It states the skill domain you were assessed in, through a practical demonstration, a project or a review of your work. It is not presented as equal to a national diploma, and we will always tell you plainly what a course leads to.
How to choose
- If you want a recognised qualification to start a career in a trade, look at the long courses and check whether the speciality leads to a DQP or a CQP.
- If you already work in a trade, or learned it as an apprentice, a short course can organise and extend what you know.
- If you need one specific skill for your work or business, ask about training designed around your needs.
Check the entry level
Each speciality has its own minimum entry level, from the First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) to the GCE Advanced Level, and it is listed with the speciality on its department page. If you are not sure whether your certificates qualify, bring them when you visit and we will check with you.
See the departments open now on the Vocational Training Institute page, or contact us with your questions.