The government led by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has not just promised a new and prosperous Pakistan, it has also released a 100-day plan and a five-year roadmap for achieving this goal.
Youth empowerment is a major focus in the PTI scheme. The youth are to be the engine of national development. Considering not all educated young men and women can be provided government jobs, it is imperative that the government strive to promote technical and vocational training programmes. The youth should be taught the skills to earn an honourable livelihood by setting up small-scale enterprises.
A market-based technical and vocational education and training system plays two critical roles in national development and growth. It creates prospects for career growth for the individuals besides providing skilled manpower to trade and industrial sectors. A skilled work force leads to self-reliance and contributes in the industrialization process. In a third world country its role cannot be overemphasized.
A capable human resource constitutes the most precious strategic asset for any country. Both peace and security and economic progress and development of a country pivot around this critical asset. Productive engagement of the youth and effective utilization of their latent energies is necessary to prevent them from engaging in negative activities. This is why the importance of technical and vocation training sector is the greatest for a country like Pakistan where more than 60 per cent of the 221 million people are in the 16-36 years bracket. In fact, socio-economic prosperity entirely revolves around the ability of the country’s vocational training sector to respond, timely and effectively, to the challenge of positively engaging its youth.
The importance of vocational training goes way beyond enabling the youth to secure gainful employment in Pakistan. The huge youth bulge offers a unique opportunity in the history of the country. In the presence of a pool of more than 110 million talented and hardworking youth, the realization of the goal of increased industrial productivity becomes more and more likely only if the government equips the youth with the latest technical and vocational skills. Productive efficiency of industry can enhance the international competitiveness of the industrial sector. This is also essential for boosting exports. A robust training sector can also help export highly skilled work force to the international job market. The resulting foreign remittances could mitigate the trade and current account deficits.
It is on account of this realization that the PTI government is increasingly prioritizing the development of the vocational training sector in the country. The government realizes that bringing the training sector at par with international standards is an unavoidable policy choice. Towards this end, a number of initiatives have been taken. In the Punjab, the Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority has initiated a number of training programmes for teaching in-demand skills. It is heartening that other provinces are also making such efforts.
The government led by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has not just promised a new and prosperous Pakistan, it has also released a 100-day plan and a five-year roadmap for achieving this goal
In addition to creating more training opportunities for the youth, the government is alive to the need for quality assurance. A number of steps have been taken to enhance the quality of technical and vocational training in the country. A modern training regime with a special focus on practical, assignment-based training has been introduced where 80 per cent of the training consists of practical work. On-job training has been made mandatory. The system of final assessments has been overhauled and now 90 per cent of the final assessment is based on practical tasks in the presence of three assessors from the industry. Skill competitions are now held regularly. These measures and other initiatives are expected to bring about a paradigm shift in the training sector.
The role of industry in a country’s skill development is both pivotal and critical. In countries like Germany, UK and Australia, the industrial sector remains at the forefront of skills-development by taking lead in ascertaining skill demands, development of curricula, the setting of skill standards and placement of trained youth. There is a realization in these countries that in order to survive today’s globally competitive economy an industry has to be optimized in terms of technological advancement and efficiency of its human resource. For increased human resource efficiency, a constant stream of highly skilled youth is indispensable. A vibrant, robust and responsive vocation training sector guarantees this.
It is for this reason that industrial sectors in these countries take full ownership of training regimes. In these countries, the industrial sector and the training sector grow side by side and complement each other.
Unfortunately, the participation of the industrial sector in Pakistan’s training sector has been lagging behind the requirements.
A lukewarm response to training programmes by industries is not only compromising the government’s objective of productive engagement of the youth but also depriving the industrial sector of its ost valuable resource.
Given the context, the immediate and urgent need is for the industry to move towards the required level of ownership and commitment by ensuring maximum participation at all levels.
The writer is a senior public policy analyst