Statistics  

The Establishment of the Statistics Advisory Committee » Statistics Capacity Building (training & education)

a. Training Courses:

The formulation of plans and their evaluation and follow up require different statistical skills which include the provision of data required by these plans at the right time, the skills for the management and processing of data and the derivation of some indicators needed for both planning and evaluation. The list expands to include statistical analysis and making inference about the characteristics of the communities studied and explaining of results. The computers and software in this information revolution era have made the task of data collection, data management and computation of indicators an easy job. The

role computer plays, however, will remain confined to these processes without traversing this stage to improve statistical methods unless attention is directed to building, statistical capabilities of the people concerned and upgrading their skills by intensive training and theoretical studies. In its endeavour to achieve this the Advisory Committee issued at its first meeting for 2003 the decision No. 6/2003 regarding the investigation about training requirements of the different ministries and government units in the area of statistics. The investigation was carried through the following:

1. Undertake an annual counting of employees at the different government ministries and units who perform statistical activities to determine their numbers, qualifications, nationalities, experiences in statistics and the statistical tasks entrusted to them.

2. Undertake a periodical (annually) survey of the training requirements for the employees in ministries and governments units in statistics which will facilitate the selection of the training programs by the Advisory Committee.

3. Prepare and publish a training manual of the training courses which will be held domestically. The manual should include the objectives of the courses; topics to be covered, targeted entities, dates and a commitment on the part of all concerned to implement those courses (see next table)

B- Diploma of Statistics Program:

In its endeavour to provide a qualified cadre in statistics and upgrade the skills of secondary school graduates working in the area of statistics, improve their experiences and assist them to acquire theoretical and empirical statistical methods, the Statistics Advisory Committee adopted at its first meeting for 2006, the diploma programme in statistics. The programme has been entrusted to Sultan Qaboos University in the framework of the cooperation between the Statistics Advisory Committee and the University. The programme will be implemented during the academic year 2006/2007.