The National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) has trained over 100,000 youths in different disciplines for employment generation, economic development and productivity. The Commission has made significant achievements and elevated the quality of Skills and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Pakistan under Chairman Shahid Khan and former executive director Sajid Baloch, according to the information available with WealthPK.

The Commission has equipped the youth with in-demand income-generating technical and high-tech IT skills in cutting-edge technologies like robotics, artificial intelligence, apps and game development, cyber security, industrial automation, cloud computing, mechatronics, e-commerce and beautician, etc.

The Commission has already trained 143,000 highly skilled professionals, with 71 percent employment; 75,268 youths have been trained in hi-tech digital IT skills and 53,598 in conventional trades. Over 13,000 skilled and certified youths got employed abroad and are earning billions to improve the national economy.

The Commission has also launched highly promising matric-tech and middle-tech programmes in formal education schools. Takamol Saudi Arabia and NAVTTC Pakistan are partnering in the joint skills testing and certification programme called “Skills Verification Program” (SVP) for ensuring a competent, skilled workforce and employment.

More than 2,500 youths have been tested/certified and employed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. NAVTTC pioneered a fully automated software-based system for SVP, which is being implemented as a global best practice by Takamol Saudi Arabia in other countries of Asia.

NAVTTC has developed a skilled workforce and jobs portal – National Employment Exchange Tool (NEXT) – i.e. jobs.gov.pk, which is fully operationalized, with available data of 458,959 skilled youths with 689,878 jobs posted from 1,085 employers. The [jobs and skills] portal is a bridge which connects the skilled youth and the employers, opening new vistas of employment and empowerment with the state providing valuable services to the public for getting employment and realizing their potential.

Under the National Vocational Qualifications Framework (NVQF), NAVTTC has developed over 200 qualifications. More than 655 TVET institutes have been accredited across the country, bringing them on a par with the international standards of the job market.

NAVTTC has contributed significantly towards improving the skills training system in Pakistan and developed a highly skilled and international standard workforce. International development partners, including the European Union, Germany GIZ, Japan JICA, British Council, UNHCR, UNICEF, ADB, etc. – have partnered with NAVTTC to benefit Pakistan.

With a result-oriented approach, NAVTTC is executing various initiatives, under the Prime Minister’s Youth Skill Development Program (PMYSDP), to uplift the skills TVET sector in Pakistan. The Commission management has enhanced the focus on marginalized segments of the society, increasing the training opportunities for widows, orphans, persons with disabilities (PWD), transgender people etc., with employable skills.

NAVTTC has arranged international accreditation of 10 TVET institutes with TUV Rhineland, Germany and the Asia Pacific and Accreditation and Certification Commission (APACC). This brings them on a par with the international standards, which has enhanced employability in the global market.

NAVTTC has also established five state-of-the-art centres of excellence (CoE) with the assistance of the European Union, Germany and Norway to promote excellence in the training delivery for youth and TVET practitioners. CoE Islamabad is fully operational to facilitate the training of trainers and trainees in the modern technologies and skills to compete in the national and international labour market. To organize the TVET system of the country on modern lines, NAVTTC has introduced an internationally recognized Competency Based Training (CBT) system in the country to replace the traditional mode of training.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk