Pakistan TVET REFORM Support Programme Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Reform support Programme
Lahore 16th November 2021: The Punjab Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) and the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) organized the Hunar~Rozgar Mela 2021 at a local hotel in Lahore to support the employment of competency-based trainees, graduates and returnees. The activity was supported by the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Sector Support Programme (TVET SSP) and the Programme Migration for Development (PME) which are implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in partnership with the National Vocational & Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC).
The Hunar~Rozgar Mela 2021 in Lahore was a platform for the job seeking TVET graduates, trainees and about to graduate and returnees from Germany and other countries. Through this Mela, the Technical Education & Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) Punjab successfully showcased the skills of training institutes in Punjab that are implementing competency-based training in priority economic sectors. These institutes have received assistance from the TVET Sector Support Programme.
Apart from the comprehensive support in TVET governance, curriculum development, workshop equipment and teacher, assessor and principal training, private sector engagement, TVET SSP has recently initiated an additional component focussing on the reintegration of returning migrants and local populations in their socio-economic reintegration through skills, career counselling, and business start-ups measures. Similarly, PME through Pakistani-German Facilitation and Reintegration Centre is strengthening the capacities of relevant counterparts, i.e. public and civil society organizations to expand the existing services for returning migrants and local population.
The Rozgar Mela ceremony was graced by the presence of the Provincial Minister of Punjab for Industries, Commerce and Investment, Mr. Mian Muhammad Aslam Iqbal and the Chief Advisor TEVTA, Skills Policy Punjab & Lead Investment Advisor, ReMIT Programme, Mr. Usman Khan.
As many as 1,100 graduates and trainees of TVET Sector Support Programme from 21 different institutes visited recruitment kiosks of 32 national and multinational enterprises offering 1,400 employment opportunities. The graduates applied their interview skills talking to more than 64 recruiters in the leading economic sectors of Pakistan. The ‘Returning to New Opportunities’ facilitation desk by PGFRC was visited by many returnees to explore the activities to promote employment, entrepreneurship, business and start up development, in-kind support measures and general advice on finding a job in Pakistan.
At the inaugural ceremony, the Provincial Minister of Punjab for Industries, Commerce and Investment Mr. Mian Muhammad Aslam Iqbal said, “The Government of Punjab aims at having the best vocational and technical training system here in Pakistan that corresponds to international standards. Seeing all the graduates today having a choice of employment in industry is showcasing the quality and industry-demand-orientation of our training.”
The Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation in Pakistan, Mr. Ovidiu Mic said: “Our support to the TVET sector on the national and provincial level since 2011 has improved the quality of the TVET system in Pakistan leading to jobs and economic growth. Witnessing today’s Hunar Rozgar Mela fills us with joy. We are certain that the reforms brought through the TVET Sector Support Programme is a major contributor for a demand-oriented sustainable TVET system in Pakistan”.
While welcoming all the speakers and guests, Mr. Ali Salman Siddique, Chairperson Punjab TEVTA said, “The Hunar Rozgar Mela 2021 is a great initiative and serves as a platform to connect hundreds of young jobseekers trained in vocational and technical trades with recruiters and HR professionals from leading enterprises”.
Mr. Olaf Handloegten, GIZ Cluster Coordinator (Training and Sustainable Growth for Decent Jobs) said that The Hunar~Rozgar Mela 2021 showcased the public-private partnership in the TVET sector of Pakistan, with both a wide-range visibility of the Government of Pakistan’s commitment towards employment promotion and skills delivery, as well as the engagement of business and industry associations working in the TVET sector.
The Chief Advisor TEVTA, Skills Policy Punjab & Lead Investment Advisor, ReMIT Programme, Mr. Usman Khan mentioned that he was happy to see the results of TVET Sector Support Programme and Punjab TEVTA especially in the area of industry-linkages. TEVTA aspires and anticipates an even stronger cooperation and collaboration between TEVTA and the commercial sector for improving the training’s quality and employment possibilities for the TEVTA trainees.
Following a panel discussion on the topic of ‘Employment for Economic Sustainability and the Role of the Private Sector in TVET in post COVID Scenario’, the Hunar Rozgar Mela 2021 was concluded with the insights from the Member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC), Professor of Economics and Director, Graduate Institute of Development Studies, Lahore School of Economics, Dr Rashid Amjad, the CEO of the Depilex Group, Ms. Musarrat Misbah, the President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Mr Nouman Kabir, Chairperson TEVTA, Mr Ali Salman Siddique, Mr Chaudhry Saeed Akbar, Director China-Pakistan Business Development Council, Mr Abdur Razzaq Gauhar, Chairman PAAPAM (Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts & Accessories Manufacturers) and finally the Technical Advisor for Career Counselling of the Programme Migration for Development of GIZ-Pakistan Mr. Faisal Shabbir.
