Pakistan TVET REFORM Support Programme Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Reform support Programme
ISLAMABAD, March 4, 2015: The Government of Pakistan on Wednesday launched the first ever National Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) policy document and the National Vocational Qualifications Framework (NVQF), which will improve the quality of skills’ training in the country.
Both the documents were launched during a one-day National Conference on TVET Reform organized by the National Vocational & Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC). The conference was supported by the TVET Reform Support Programme, funded by the European Union, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Royal Norwegian Embassy. The Programme has been commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and is being implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in close collaboration with NAVTTC.
Minister of State for Education and Professional Training Engr. Baligh-ur-Rehman was the chief guest, while European Union ambassador HE Lars- Gunnar Wigemark, the German ambassador HE Dr. Cyrill Nunn, the Dutch ambassador HE Marcel de Vink and the Norwegian ambassador HE Leif Holger Larsen were the guests of honour. More than 300 government officials, TVET experts, employers, office bearers of a number of chambers of commerce and industry and trade associations across the country attended the conference.
Speaking on the occasion, Engr. Muhammad Balighur Rehman said that Pakistan is not only blessed with numerous natural resources but it is also one of the few countries with a population bulge of young people which is 60 % of the population and which stands over 180 million. This indeed is a major demographic dividend if explored to its full potential, he opined.
The government of Pakistan, he explained, has taken upon this challenge stands firm to its resolve and commitment of skilling its youth for better economic opportunities for future generations. The minister further said that greater priority to TVET, increased access across the country, improved quality, the private sector in the driving seat and a national system for Pakistani qualifications and certificates were all salient features of the TVET Policy.
Moreover, elaborating the NVQF, the minister said that this instrument will facilitate both horizontal and vertical progress by learners within the TVET system and will provide a basis for recognition of qualifications at national and international levels. Additionally, it provides guidelines for recognition of prior learning since more than 70% of the labor force is trained in the informal sector in Pakistan, he said. He resolved that the government is committed to implement the TVET policy and NVQF in letter and spirit, which will create a paradigm shift in the TVET delivery system.
Earlier all the four ambassadors, Executive Director NAVTTC Muhammad Imtiaz Tajwar and Country Director GIZ Pakistan Juergen Schilling spoke on the occasion.
