Competency Based Training and Assessment (CBT & A)

The National Vocational & Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), Technical Education & Vocational Training Authorities (TEVTAs), Trade Testing Boards (TTBs), Punjab Vocational Training Council (PVTC), Punjab Board of Technical Education and a number of private sector TVET institutes have jointly introduced Competency Based Training and Assessment (CBT & A) in selected vocational trades across Pakistan.

The introduction of CBT& A is an important element of the National Skills Strategy (NSS), which is the basis of the ongoing TVET sector reform in Pakistan. It also provides the basis for the implementation of the National Vocational Qualifications Framework (NVQF).

Under this paradigm shift, the CBT programmes are designed and delivered by adopting a systematic approach, focusing on better employability of the trainees with strong market linkages. Through competency based assessment, the trainees are assessed after completing the programme and awarded high quality national vocational certificates. Likewise, skills of the individuals from outside the formal system are also recognized through Recognition of Prior Learning/Recognition of Current Competencies (RPL/RCC).

Advantages of CBT&A

CBT & A Programmes:

• are focused on skills, knowledge, understanding and attitudes/values.
• describe observable, demonstrable and assessable performance.
• are broader in scope than a mere list of specific tasks or skills.
• enable the learners to acquire competencies, which are recognized by the industry all over the country through competency standards set under NVQF.
• offer greater prospective of employability to the learners.
• enable the informal skilled workers to get their skills assess and certified through recognition of prior learning and current competencies.
• involve industry in all the steps of training delivery right from designing the skills to assessment and placement of the skilled workers.
• allow flexibility in the movement of learners from one institution to another.