Provision of employable skills can make economic turnaround; experts

LAHORE, June 26, 2013: Provision of employable skills to the youth is the only solution to
counter growing unemployment, poverty in Pakistan and make its economy grow, say experts.

Speaking at a two-day orientation session on entitled-Marketing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)-, the experts said “Pakistan can only take benefit of its youth population if it is equipped with market-oriented skills, which are not only essential for the country’s uplift but also it will enable the youth to have access to a decent career path.” The session was organized by the Punjab Vocational Training Council (PVTC) in collaboration with TVET Reform Support Programme, which is co-funded by the European Union, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Federal Republic of Germany and being implemented by the GIZ.

Close to 80 Admission and Placement Officers (APOs) of the PVTC attended the orientation sessions in two batches. Experts such as Prof Iqbal Khan and Dr. Ehsan Malik facilitated their respective sessions on how to promote TVET among the masses and attract youth to the skill development training courses.

“The society understands the importance of employable skills, but because of poor reputation and limited information available on TVET offers, majority of the people are unable to secure the employable skills,” they observed, urging the APOs to create maximum awareness about the available training facilities to the youth and communities so that they can shape up their destinies.

Chairman PVTC Faisal Ejaz Khan, while speaking on the concluding ceremony, said there is a huge gap between demand and supply when it comes to the skilled manpower. He said the economy in general and the industry in particular requires skilled manpower, but the capacity to produce skilled workforce in Pakistan is limited not only because of fewer number of training institutes, but also because of lack of awareness about the even existing training opportunities among the masses. He urged the APOs to target the youth and communities and attract them to the training courses that can change their lives.

Raja Saad Khan, National Deputy Coordinator TVET Reform Support Programme, said in countries with better TVET system, majority of the youth join the technical education stream because this provide them a decent career. He lamented that despite having potential of career progression, reputation of skilled jobs is not good in Pakistan.

He highlighted the measures, which are being undertaken at national level to reform the TVET sector, which will ultimately contribute to improving the reputation of the technical education in Pakistan. Under the reform programme, he said awareness is being created about the utility of TVET as a decent career path and in this context the role of APOs is of an immense importance.

Mohammad Ali Khan, Communication Manager, TVET Reform Support Programme highlighted the causes of poor reputation of the TVET sector and explained the reform initiatives to tackle the negative perception attached to this stream of education. He also urged the APOs to reach maximum number of the target group and inform them about the importance of being skilled. He informed the participants about different tools, which can increase their outreach among the target groups.