ACCREDITATIONS

A major concern of any aspiring, tertiary level-based student, is the question of accredited learning. Advancing one’s education is already quite daunting with the plethora of scholastic options, both classrooms based and online, only for the prospective student to find, frustratingly later on, that their time, effort, finances and studies were all in vain, due to the lack of recognised accreditation of the institution. A.S.T.I. is proud to mention the many different levels of accreditation that are attached to both this Institute and all our offered courses, locally, regionally and internationally. Over the past two decades, we have distinguished ourselves in the telecommunications and electronics fields. From our humble beginnings as a training school in Fibre Optics, we have built and branded our Institution, while attaining recognition from some of the most outstanding accreditation bodies.

1). Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT).

This represents our local certification body, as the ACTT is solely responsible for accrediting all post-Secondary and Tertiary-level institutes and programmes in the country. Their accreditation is continuously renewal based and considers several factors of the Institution, such as its capacity to provide holistic, educational principles. Their accreditation process analyses an organization’s administrative strengths, academic policies, quality of staff, physical faculties and financial stability. A.S.T.I. is subjected to a continuous process of development, innovation and improvement to ensure we remain worthy of ACTT accreditation.

2). Accredited Services for International Colleges (ASIC)

ASIC is Internationally respected for the quality of standards for Schools, Colleges, Universities, and online learning providers. ASIC has been formed to bring independent information to both the student population and the wider Higher Education world, through its international accreditation service with well-defined and objective benchmarking.

Accreditation through ASIC will help students and parents to make informed choices and will also help a school, college, university, training provider, or distance education provider, demonstrate to the international student body that they are a high-quality institution. Our international accreditation allows students to gain a realistic and honest picture of what an institution is really like in terms of quality, resources, student support, and ethics.

3). Education and Quality (EduQual).

This currently represents our direction of certification, progressing from ASTI being just a solely technical institution. It allows both the Institute and all our programmes to re-enter the wider sphere of the tertiary academic system. EduQual is recognized by one of the four government-sponsored qualification regulators in the United Kingdom, the SQA Accreditations and many of our certificates and diplomas, are currently accredited through them. We are also currently accredited through the Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework (SCQF), in the United Kingdom. This allows our graduates to further obtain credits that can be then levied towards several certificate, diploma and degree programmes. EduQual also currently maintains a highly recognized global accredited presence across four continents, and whose qualifications are readily renowned by several universities and professional membership bodies. Students who possess EduQual qualifications can go on to ‘top up’ at several international educational institutes including, but not limited to:

• Anglia Ruskin University.
• Bath Spa University.
• Binary University of Business and Entrepreneurship.
• Edinburgh Napier University.
• London Metropolitan University.
• Newman University.
• The University of Bedfordshire.
• University of Chester.
• University of Dundee.
• University of East London.
• The University of Northampton.
• University of South Wales.

While several of the above-mentioned names may seem familiar as they also offer certified programmes in recognized local institutes, we here at the Advanced Solutions Technical Institute are also recognized by the same international framework that governs them, essentially placing us on par with them, in terms of accreditation. EduQual qualifications also provide exemptions in several other fields such as, but not limited to:

• Association of International Accountants.
• Institute of Financial Accountants.

Holders of EduQual qualifications can also apply for membership into a variety of professional registers such as:

• Medical Industry Accreditation.
• Electronic Technician Association.
• Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.
• Joint Council of Cosmetic Practitioners.
• Reptrax (IntelliCentrics-Secure).

4) Electronics Technician Association (ETA).

One of our more popular international accreditations for all of our technical-based certificate programmes, the ETA has been the staple accreditation body for well over a decade, even though they have been around for far longer. The ETA has been providing quality training and regulations since being founded in 1978. Since then, they have grown to become the international organization for the training and accreditations of technicians within the Western Hemisphere. They represent not just the electronics industry as a whole, but throughout the many stages, from the technician to the educator, all the way to accrediting technical corporate institutes like A.S.T.I. With a global alumnus of over 200,000 technicians through an astonishing ninety programmes in various fields, from aviation to renewable energy, ETA recognition is the preferred aspiration of the modern technician.

Just like us here at A.S.T.I., ETA has noted the importance of a skilled labour force and actively seeks to arm them with the required knowledge and skill set, that many industries demand. ETA certificate programmes, through technical Institutes like A.S.T.I., ensure that all qualified technicians possess the required knowledge and advanced skills to successfully meet any and all international electronics industry standards, such as safely handling equipment, recognition of and troubleshooting technical issues, regulations and safety procedures.

5) Electronic Security Association (ESA)

ESA is the largest trade association in the United States representing the electronic security and life safety industry. Member companies install, integrate and monitor intrusion and fire detection, video surveillance, and electronic access control systems for commercial, residential, industrial, and government clients. ESA provides technical and management training, and government advocacy, and delivers information, advice, tools, and services that members use to grow their businesses and prosper.