ISLAMABAD - Experts at a webinar have emphasised upon removing gender parity for skills development in labour market as it would not only ensure socio-economic development especially of low income population but also contribute significantly towards national economic stability.
The webinar ‘Gender-parity in TVET for socio-economic prospects of Pakistan’ was organised by the European Union-funded TVET Sector Support Programme (SSP), Germany and Norwegian Embassy here on Friday.
Purpose of the event was to emphasise on the inclusion of women in labour market through skills development and to aware the general public about the significance of technical education and vocational training for women to access and excel in the labour market.
The TVET SSP 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 the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), provincial Technical Education and Vocational Training Authorities (TEVTAs) and large number of private sector organizations.
The webinar addressed the topics of gender balance, equality, improved access and quality of skills training as well as the challenges which are faced in real life leading to gender-incomparability in TVET as well as labour market.
Siemens Pakistan‘s Managing Director and CEO Markus Strohmeier, GIZ‘s Country Director Tobias Becker, FPCCI Senior Vice President Syed Mazhar Ali Nasir and others were the panellists of the webinar.
Giving his expert opinion in the webinar, Markus Strohmeier said that public-private partnership in the TVET SSP is the way forward for the inclusion of women. “This initiative is the means to polish their skills, and to compete and achieve their goals,” he explained.
Addressing the audience, Tobias Becker shed light on the role of GIZ Pakistan on behalf of the German Development Cooperation in implementing the TVET reforms in Pakistan. He said, “GIZ Pakistan in partnership with NAVTCC is successfully implementing the TVET SSP and is delighted to see the positive outcome of this Programme,”
He also mentioned that people of Pakistan are willing to enhance their skills and compete in the international labour market for better returns.
Moreover, he revealed that from the 50,000 vocational graduates of TVET SSP, more than 30 percent of them are women. This clearly demonstrates that women can succeed in a gender-inclusive TVET.
In his remarks, Syed Mazhar Ali Nasir said that everybody should play his/her role for Pakistan to develop and to acquire sustainability in social and economic aspects. “It is essential to provide accurate pathways for women for accessing new opportunities and for facilitating a high participation of women in the labour market,” he stressed.
In the webinar, Moderator Sonia Omair, Development Communication Advisor GIZ Pakistan, discussed about the significance of gender-parity in TVET for socio-economic prospects of Pakistan. She said that technically trained youth, and particularly more women, contributing to the labour market will lead to a promising future of the country.