NENADAL Jaroslav, PETRIKOVA Ruzena & DUDEK Martin
Department of Quality Management, VSB-TU Ostrava, Jaroslav.Nenadal@vsb.cz, Ruzena.Petrikova@vsb.cz, Martin.Dudek@vsb.cz
Abstract: The Total Quality Management is one of the advanced approaches to the organisation´s management systems now. The most of Czech companies are in bad need of skilled specialists for implementing such systems. The Department of Quality Management at VSB-TU Ostrava offers the engineering study in such branch.
The paper describes an essential features of this branch of study and curricula derived from Leonardo da Vinci research project. The linkage between the engineering education and a personnel certification is discussed too. Some example from Ostrava is enclosed.
Keywords: Total Quality Management, education, personnel certification, curiccula
A present –day trends of the management systems development in industrial plants and services indicate the key area of management for the start of the next century: so called Total Quality Management (TQM).
A TQM system´s efficiency closely depends on knowledge and skills of managers and technicians. The ”people quality” represents a vital condition for TQM implementation within the industrial companies. Unfortunately a level of these skills and knowledge is insufficient in the meantime and the most of Czech companies are in bad need of specialists for building, maintenance and improvement of TQM systems. This shortage can be overcome by special and systematic education at the universities and on site too. The Department of Quality Management at VSB-Technical University Ostrava has been developing this kind of education for some years.
As for the engineering education for TQM the range and level of it are very different
from one university to another . Unfortunately there are still some branches of engineering studies without any subject regarding to TQM at Czech universities on the one hand, but some advanced curricula in this field already exists on the other hand. We can say the most worked out curricula are offered by The Department of Quality Management at VSB-Technical University Ostrava. This department covers an unique branch of study ”Quality Management”. It reflected an important proposal of European Organisation for Quality (EOQ) dealt with title quality engineer as a person who was able to develop, to implement, to assess and to maintain an appropriate quality system for industries, services, public sector and other organisations.
The curricula of this branch of study were improved last year as a principal result of an international research project Leonardo da Vinci titled ”The University – Enterprise Partnership for TQM”. The solving of this project (with partners from Great Britain, Belgium, Finland, Netherlands, etc.) included a research of the companies needs within the total quality management also. The outputs of this research served as important basis for our curricula´s improvement.
The branch of study ”Quality Management” has two main stages now. The first stage takes four terms and it includes common subjects as mathematics, physics, chemistry etc. The second stage takes six terms and offers special courses or subjects as:
and many other voluntary courses.
The graduates should:
We are aware of fact that we must introduce another subjects such Risk Management , Product Liability Assurance, etc. so that this kind of engineering education might be a serious education towards to the Integrated Management Systems.
The mentioned branch of study has 30 graduates till now also. This number of graduates cannot eliminate a great shortage of skilled specialists in Czech companies of course.
We suppose that all educational systems must be created with regards to the latest trends:
Therefore, another form of the education for quality which is offered by our department are three terms postgraduates studies “Quality Management”. This type of study corresponds with EOQ Harmonised Scheme…requirements for so called “EOQ Quality Managers”. It is considered as a suitable preparation for personnel certification. The Department of Quality Management VSB-TU Ostrava with co-operation with House of Technology Ostrava found an certification body for personnel certification within quality systems.
The personnel certification is a form of third party assessment of skills for doing some managerial jobs. The Department of Quality Management at VSB-TU Ostrava with co-operation and finance support of The House of Technology Ostrava established a certification body for this kind of certification four years ago. This certification body is accreditated by Czech Institute for Accreditation (this is a national accreditation body) for personnel certification of these functions:
More than 150 specialists from Czech and Slovak Republic taken use services of this certification body since 1996.
We suppose that number of certified persons is still limited by fact that personnel certification is fully voluntary in the field of TQM. It is used as a tool of human resources management very seldom at Czech organisations nowadays. In spite of this present experience we consider a personnel certification as an excellent approach of skills assessment for the next century.
The TQM will be certainly an unseparable component in process of deep changing of our community. We are fully aware of the fact that competent education for TQM influences significantly not only the company culture but that it is a determining standards of living condition and criterion within the whole society.