Skills training to reduce poverty, unemployment

ISLAMABAD Jan 25, 2016: The best way to reduce poverty and unemployment is to equip the men and women with employable skills, says Zulfiqar Ahmad Cheema, Executive Director National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC). Speaking at a media sensitization session here on Monday, Mr. Cheema underlined the importance of TVET, saying “Pakistan is blessed with human and natural resources and now it’s up to us how we tap these resources by establishing an effective TVET system, which is required for the country to progress.” “TVET has become a political priority during last decade or so and that is why the government is focusing on improving the quality of TVET delivery with the assistance of its international partners,” remarks Mr. Cheema.

Urging the media to help remove the stigma attached with blue- collar jobs, he said the skilled labour could become a big source of earnings both for their families and for the country.

Sharing some of the results, which NAVTTC has achieved under the TVET Reform Support Programme, which isfunded by the EU, Netherlands, Germany and Norway, he said the NAVTTC has devised the first-ever TVET policy and National Vocational Qualifications Framework(NVQF) to bring a paradigm shift in the TVET delivery.For the first time in Pakistan, he said, a Competency BasedTraining (CBT) programme has been launched in 97 institutes withexpected 20,000 pass-outs. The NAVTTC has also completed theaccreditation of 586 TVET programmes and institutes to improve qualityof TVET and create national standards.

Likewise, National Skill Information System has been made functionalin NAVTTC, besides training of 8,500 teachers in pedagogical skills,he added. He further informed the media persons that the cooperative vocational training scheme has beenlaunched to provide skills to trainees with on-job-experience.

He said Job Placement Centers are being set up to make data of theskilled manpower available to the industry. The NAVTTC is already in touchwith the industry and is receiving their demands which would help itmaking the curriculum and a strategy to train the youth for theblue-collar jobs.

Mr. Cheema also announced that organizing skill competitions job fairs in all the provincial capitals and Islamabad inFebruary and March.