ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The number of young boys and girls enrollment in technical education and vocational training (TEVT) institutes working under National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) has increased from 25,000 to 100,000 this year.
According to an official of NAVTTC, enrollment of youth was increased due to the NAVTTC’s concrete steps from last few years, to create awareness among the youth regarding importance of skills development for creating job opportunities.
In current year, NAVTTC received almost four times higher number of applications against the allotted seats, he told the state-run news agency.
The quality of training, he said, has improved manifold, adding that the monitoring process has now become more effective and running on modern lines.
It is compulsory for the TVET institutes to conduct tests of the trainees each month, after that, mid-term exams are taken and after five months, skill competitions are also held.
The NAVTTC officers visit the institutes on regular basis and monitor the quality of training and performance of instructors, he added.
The old examination system has been replaced with modern method of assessment under which 90 percent exam was based on practical test. Moreover, out of three assessors, two were belonging from industry, official said.
For guidance of youth, Job Placement Centers have been established at Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi which has resulted in better employment chances for them, he added. NAVTTC, he said was taking steps to strengthen collaboration with industry and in this regard Sector Skills Councils were being established.
The official said that they do not have dearth of skilled labour in the country as there are thousands of people who have learned the skills informally and hence they do not have any certificates or proof for which they are considered as unskilled abroad.
To bring these informal trained workers in the national economy, they have initiated system of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and thousands of skilled workers are being assessed in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Islamabad who will be certified after passing the tests.
Pakistan has become a member of World Skills Council and a part of the world community in the field of technical and vocational education sector. The official said this will create tremendous employment opportunities for Pakistani TVET graduates and they will also participate in the world skills competitions.
This membership will help in strengthening NAVTTC collaboration with the international TVET community and they will be able to learn from the experiences and best practices of the developed countries in technical and vocational sector, he added.
