QUALITY ASSURANCE AT THE HELLENIC NAVY NCO ACADEMY
In the modern era, a process of broad reforms is taking place across all institutions. National education systems, and therefore military education, could not be an exception. The reforms established by the Bologna Declaration made university-level military education a key parameter of military competitiveness worldwide in most European countries and paved the way for various efforts to improve quality in Higher Education.
The educational processes of the Hellenic Navy NCO Academy, having been evaluated according to the Common Assessment Framework based on the EFQM business excellence model, operate in accordance with the main principles and objectives of Quality Assurance in Higher Education.
BASIC PRINCIPLES OF QUALITY ASSURANCE OF EDUCATION AT THE HELLENIC NAVY NCO ACADEMY
• continuous improvement of academic programmes for the benefit of cadets and other stakeholders, including naval services (and other military services) at national and international level
• processes that encourage diversity and innovation, as well as flexibility in shaping the Academy’s curriculum so that it meets the immediate, high-priority learning needs of stakeholders
• development of effective organisational structures and processes through which academic study programmes can be continuously supported, efficient and constantly improving
• promotion of a culture of quality and excellence within the Academy
OBJECTIVES OF QUALITY ASSURANCE OF EDUCATION AT THE HELLENIC NAVY NCO ACADEMY
• strengthening the knowledge base of Greek and foreign cadets at both theoretical and practical levels. The main aim of education at the Academy is to maintain an efficient system aligned with the educational and professional needs of naval personnel, so that they become as effective as possible at the highest possible level.
More specifically, the three main pillars of quality improvement in the education provided at the Hellenic Navy NCO Academy are:
• intensive academic education
• the development of cadets, which lies in their awareness of their personal skills through conscious participation in the learning process as well as through unconscious learning (e.g. attending classes, counselling, etc.)
• practical training, which is a well-designed process aiming at changing attitudes and updating knowledge and skills as a result of acquired experience, and which seeks the continuous improvement of performance in a specific field of activity
Thanks to these principles and objectives, and their constant observance in the Academy’s operation over the years, new cadets from various foreign countries are enrolled at our Academy every year to receive theoretical and practical training that will raise the quality of their work as future personnel of the navies of their countries of origin.