Accreditation as one of the three primary modes of quality assurance, is often considered a step towards establishing a culture of quality - sustained and maintained by defining objectives, developing capacity to achieve them and evaluating whether they are achieved or not. Being a gatekeeper of quality at its threshold, accreditation determines the adequacy of human, physical and information resources, reinforces results-based approach to evaluation, and provides a firm foundation for its institutions or programs.

Over the years, many schemes of accreditation and certification have been set up by various agencies or organizations. They function in different approaches: institutional, program, or both; voluntary or prescribed mode; national or regional scope; and peer or external evaluation. Nevertheless, accreditation is predicated upon validated standards, criteria and indicators, and as evaluation techniques to provide an accurate picture of the institution or programs being evaluated.

The countries in Asia and the Pacific Region are recognizing the critical role played by Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in economic development. The significant changes in the global environment, in particular, the emergence of a worldwide labor market, in one way or another, bear heavily on the role, functions, shape and the mode of operation of TVET systems all over the world.

TVET is increasingly perceived as the master key to poverty alleviation, sustainable development, and a life of peace, prosperity and freedom. It is considered to be essential to technical training, job generation and employment creation therefore, maintaining its quality is of paramount importance.

Today's inevitable global trends have uncovered new and emerging challenges causing TVET systems to change and grow more rapidly dynamic. Indeed, the increasing mobility of the workforce, internationalization of curricula, transnational delivery of programs, credit transfer and electronic delivery modes has posed an overriding challenge.

In Pakistan with the expansion of TVET system through establishment of new institutions and launching of new programs, it has become imperative to maintain quality and standard through out the country. Some initiatives have already been taken by the Federal Government in Accreditation System and Standard Skills development.

CPSC is serving to build alliances between quality assurance agencies in its member countries through APACC, and assisting countries that do not have a quality assurance agency of their own. It is for this reason that CPSC in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Islamic Republic of Pakistan is conducting "Accreditation and Certification in TVET" – an in-country program from 12 – 22 March, 2007.

It is hoped that the sharing of ideas and discussions will be productive and worthwhile in providing the basics of TVET accreditation and certification: its concepts, methodologies and practices, and more importantly, its role in addressing new and emerging challenges in human resources development with global labor market.