NATIONAL VOCATIONAL & TECHNICAL TRAINING COMMISSION

Some of the hallmark features of various interventions have been the quality assurance, inclusiveness, relevance and holistic approach. NAVTTC launched targeted initiatives like competency based training and assessment (CBTA), accreditation and certification, apprenticeship reforms, job placement and career counseling, national vocational qualification framework (NVQF), recognition of prior learning (RPL), and strengthening the public-private partnerships for bridging the demand-supply gap and simultaneously creating strong coordination with the stakeholders including the provincial Governments, business fora and chambers of commerce and industries, the academia, the industry. In order to make the affairs all-inclusive, all stakeholders are being taken on board while planning and executing various schemes to meet geographic skill demands. NAVTTC has taken a number of steps for development of human resource in the country through creation of an enabling environment for providing technical hands-on skills to Pakistani youth. Some of the prominent initiatives taken by NAVTTC are mentioned as under:

1. National Vocational Qualification Framework (NVQF) has been devised and implemented for the standardization of skill qualifications across the country;
2. Towards quality assurance, NAVTTC has introduced a comprehensive accreditation regime in Pakistan. Over 400 TVET institutes and 1400 training programs have been accredited so far under the program;

• In curriculum development and standardization at the national level, qualifications for over 70 trades have been developed that are at par with technological requirements of national and international job markets;

1. Internationally recognized, competency based training (CBT) modules have been introduced in the country to replace the traditional mode of training. Pakistan is now able to deliver internationally recognized trainings;
2. Special emphasis laid on giving pivotal role to industry and private sector to develop TVET sector. Four sector skill councils (SSCs) have been established in the construction, hospitality, and textile sectors. Moreover, for bringing all stakeholders on one platform, the National Skill Council (NSC) has been established. Likewise, the concept of Institute Management Committees (IMCs) has been introduced for the first time with due representation to private sector;
3. To further strengthen industry and private sector role in TVET, Apprenticeship Bill, 1962 has been replaced with Apprenticeship Act, 2018 that is encompassing a broader scope and is in-line with the international best apprenticeship practices;

• Pakistan is now member of the WorldSkills which is the collective voice for skills excellence and development in vocational, technological and service oriented careers around the globe;
• A large number of Pakistani youth acquire training through informal sector, known as the Ustad-Shagird In the absence of a formal certification for their skills, such youth cannot get employment as skilled workers, in both national and international markets. To enhance employment prospects for such youth, the system Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) launched as a tool to recognize and certify skills acquired through informal unregulated means and more than 25,000 such informally skilled youth has been skill tested and certified under the RPL system;

1. Training and capacity building of TVET trainers and managers are given a due significance. Both in-country and foreign training programs are being arranged with the help of development partners for training and capacity building of TVET trainers and mangers. A total number of 8,500 TVET teachers have been provided with pedagogical (in-service) training across Pakistan;
2. To collect latest market data on skills demands in the national and international job markets and create real time linkages with prospective employers, National Skills Information System (NSIS) has been established with state of the art technologies;
3. For the first time in Pakistan, a National Job Portal has been introduced to link potential employees with employers. Skill profiles of more than 550,000 youth have been uploaded on the National Job Portal. Additionally, NAVTTC has also established Job Placement Centers (JPCs) at Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore and more than 100 Job Placement and Vocational Counseling Centers (JP&VCCs) across the country for the benefit of youth;

Technical and Vocational education imparts academic and technical knowledge and skills to youth and prepares them for decent employment in the shortest possible time. Accordingly, this is the quickest and most effective method of youth empowerment and channelizing their energies for socio-economic development. With the concentrated efforts of NAVTTC and success of its skill development programs, enrollment during the year 2016-17 was recorded at 433,237 with impressive increase of about 37.5 percent  (NAVTTC NSIS Survey: 2016-17) as compared to the previous three year. This not only portrays the success of NAVTTC’s efforts for the development of TVET sector, but also depicts the increasing interest evinced by Pakistani youth in acquiring market driven skills and adopting TVET as profession for earning decent livelihood for themselves and their families. This success demands both the continuation as well as enlargement of scope of skill development programs for continuous and sustained benefit of Pakistani youth.

It is generally felt that the existing TVET system has not been able to cater to the challenges posed by the new work environment and is unable to meet in the modern TVET requirements of industry. This has resulted in skill shortage. Accordingly, NAVTTC intends to implement its training standards and curricula, teaching learning materials (TLMs), teaching learning references (TLRs), and competency standards, tutorials, etc. to bridge up the technological gap of industry keeping in view the latest sectoral and demographic demands of following sectors:

1. Construction
2. Energy & Renewable energy
3. Textile including garments
4. Agriculture, Horticulture, Livestock, Dairy, Poultry & Fisheries
5. Manufacturing (Small, Medium & large Industry)
6. Services including Hospitality, Tourism & Hotel Management
7. Transportation& Logistics
8. Business & Information Technology Skills
9. Fashion Designing / Stitching
10. Beautician
11. Creative Arts
12. Electronic & Print Media
13. Regional / Traditional Trades
14. Mechatronics
15. Banking, Commerce & E-Business
16. Artificial Intelligence
17. High-end Industrial Engineering
18. Robotics & Advanced Electronics
19. Industrial Automation, Internet of things and Big Data
20. Cloud Computing, Free-Lancing etc.

Foreign remittances are the main plank of Pakistan’s foreign exchange earnings and balance of trade. According to World Bank‘s Migration and Remittances Reports, Pakistan is still one of the top remittance receiving countries in the world. In Pakistan, workers’ remittances have contributed positively in the stability of external account balances during recent years. Demand of skills and nature of work are changing at global level and employment opportunities are shifting across sectors and occupations. Pakistan’s economy has significant reliance on foreign remittances sent by Pakistani Diaspora abroad. Main concentration Pakistani migrant workforce is in Middle East (54.80 percent), Europe (26.81 percent), and America 11.90 percent. During 2016, around 840,000 labor-force proceeded to different countries, especially Saudi Arabia and Middle East which not only contributed to the economies of the host country through their services but also earned remittances for the Pakistan. (Pakistan Economic Survey, 2016-17). Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world with a population of 207.78 million; given the current rate of population growth it is estimated to reach 280 million by the year 2030. Currently, 63 percent of the population is below the age of 30.To reap a beneficial harvest of this demographic dividend, proper engagement of youth through adequate skills and Vocational Training is unavoidable. Efforts are underway at different levels to produce trained human resource which can serve abroad and can earn precious forex for the country. In this regard, NAVTTC is one of the lead role players and is well cognizant of the fact and thus has made several arrangements to prepare and promote Pakistani skilled workforce as per the international standards while applying versatile approaches including establishing 10 country of destination specific facilitation centers, international affiliation of Pakistani TVET institutes to enhance international recognition of Pakistani qualifications, establishing five centers of excellences, and smart-tech laboratories for cutting edge technologies being performed in advanced countries etc.

Manufacturing sector is considered to be one of the major sources of economic growth and development. Expansion of this sector can generate millions of jobs for skilled workforce. Pakistan and China have initiated the construction of Pakistan-China Economic Corridor (CPEC) between the two countries. CPEC as a driver of economic activity in the area is also expected to generate substantial demand for skilled labour in the coming years. Major economic partners of Pakistan are getting better outlook, which will have positive impact on the economy of Pakistan, opening wide opportunities for utilization of Pakistani manpower. With the increase in GDP growth, demand for skilled workforce will also rise. According to Pakistan Economic Survey, 2017-18, the share of construction in industrial sector is 13.3 percent and is one of the potential contributors of industrial development. Construction sector in Pakistan has registered a significant growth in last few years and this trend is expected to continue in the coming years, which will create demand for skilled workers in the sector. The share of the services sector increased up to 59.59 percent of GDP in year 2017. Services sector contains six sub-sectors including the hospitality, hotel management and tourism, transport, storage and communication, wholesale and retail trade, finance and insurance, housing services (ownership of dwellings), general government services (public administration and defense), and other private services (social services). Continuous expansion of the sector will raise demand for properly trained workforce for the sector and NAVTTC has made sufficient arrangements to cater for the requirements of services sector in new emerging concept of High-Tech and High-End Training programs