Pakistan TVET REFORM Support Programme Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Reform support Programme
Starting Afresh: Reintegration of Returnees in Pakistan through Career Advisory & Entrepreneurship Support Services
Lahore, October 27, 2021: Reintegration of Returnees in Pakistan under TVET Sector Support Programme organized its first two-day workshop on “Career Advisory and Entrepreneurship” on October 26th & 27th, 2021 here at a local hotel in Lahore. The workshop was jointly facilitated by Reintegration of Returnees in Pakistan (RoR) and Programme Migration for Development (PME) implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH with its Pakistani partner organizations.
The workshop was organized to prepare the returnees and locals to establish themselves into the social and economic structure of the country. The first day of this workshop was focused on apprising the participants of entrepreneurial and employment opportunities in Pakistan, whereas the second day highlighted the process of microfinancing for new businesses. A comprehensive session on “Microfinancing Credits for Small Businesses” was conducted by Akhuwat, which is one of the implementing partners of this initiative.
“Ever since I returned from Dubai in 2016, I have had trouble finding employment opportunities in Pakistan. Although I only spent two years abroad, the job market had changed a lot when I returned. I believe it is critical to have a robust plan when returning from abroad, and there should be a mentor or an organization to help one assimilate yourself back into the community. One of my friends works in the vocational education sector and he told me about this workshop. As a returnee, this is a wonderful opportunity and it has been a great experience so far.” Shahid Imran – A Returnee workshop participant said.
Career and Entrepreneurship Advisory Services is one of the core support measures that TVET Sector Support Programme will facilitate through Reintegration of Returnees component to returning migrants and locals. This intervention will support 6,000 individuals (including 3,000 returnees) by providing them with professional and career advisory on employment opportunities in different economic sectors. These advisory services will also support business start-ups by connecting them with micro-financing facilities for viable expansion opportunities.
These services will be provided through Career Counselling and Job Placement (CCJP) centres and Pakistani-German Facilitation and Reintegration Centre (PGFRC), initiatives under TVET Sector Support Programme (TVET SSP) and Programme Migration for Development (PME), both implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, under in Punjab. The services will comprise of various capacity development workshops, entrepreneurial trainings, face-to-face and online meetings for business start-ups, and support on access to microfinancing institutions for Small Medium Enterprises (SME) loans facilitation.
The Reintegration of Returnees is a newly launched initiative of TVET SSP which is funded by the European Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Royal Norwegian Embassy. The reintegration measures in Pakistan for resettlement of volunteer returnees from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and European countries are supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The programme is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in partnership with the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC)in close collaboration with provincial Technical Education and Vocational Training Authorities (TEVTAs) and several public and private sector organizations.
