ISLAMABAD (APP): The National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) has established a National Skill Information Cell for providing information for workforce development in employable skills.
The Cell is now operational and is serving as base for provision of vocational guidance and placement services for graduate and employers.
Sources at NAVTTC while highlighting achievements Tuesday said that the Commission has also drafted a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Regulatory Framework which is under submission to Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training for its implementation/notification.
Besides, the sources said, the Commission has developed a National TVET Policy document which forms basis for defining the political priorities for TVET sector.
The policy document aims at skill development of 1 million youth per annum and targeting 20 percent by 2025 through competency -based training.
They said the policy focuses on a reform-based approach, envisaging new public-private partnership, matching with international standard and establishment of credible and sustainable links with informal sector to facilitate sustained reform.
The sources said NAVTTC, an apex body and a national regulatory authority to address challenges of Technical and Vocational Training in the country, was allocated Rs. 350 million during last year to execute its 28 on-going sub-projects throughout country. Out of which Rs. 140 million (40 percent) was released during first three quarters.
Regarding other accomplishments, the sources said NAVTTC has established 130 vocational training centers/institutes in 79 uncovered tehsils of Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Under the programme 37,521 trainees have been trained.
The Commission, in the light of Prime Minister's directions, took an initiative of offering short-term skill development programmes up to six-month duration courses in collaboration with public and private sector. It covers four priority sectors including construction, agriculture (dairy & livestock), IT & telecommunication and skills for women. Under this programme 116,776 trainees have been trained.
The sources said so far, 54 institutions/192 TVET programmes have been accredited whereas more than 40 TVET institutions and 200 programmes are in the process. The first-ever national vocational qualification framework of the country has been launched on March 04 this year. The framework provides principles and guidelines for identification, equivalence and assessment of TVET qualifications, equivalence and assessment of TVET qualifications for competency-based training. The NAVTTC has also verified/attested more than 7000 certificates uptill now throughout Pakistan and issued more than 80,000 certificates and maintained database of trainees who got training under NAVTTC sponsored courses.
They said the Commission has submitted a proposal for establishing a Federal Board of Technical Education and Vocational Training (FBTEVT) which will be an independent, autonomous body for conducting trade testing, affiliation of TVET institutions and to conduct assessment/ examination as third party assessor within its jurisdiction (ICT, FATA, AJK & GB).