Mansoor Sadiq

Amidst the prevailing economic slowdown, skill development is an undeniable option, which can help earn billions of dollars of foreign remittances for Pakistan, and also bolster the imports-dependent industry of the country, said Syed Javed Hassan, former chairman National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC).

Javed told WealthPK that skilled labour force can accelerate Pakistan’s economic growth and also strengthen the local industries, which are heavily dependent on imported raw materials. Pakistan boasts the youngest population with 65% of the total population below the age of 30 and 28% between the age of 15 and 29 years.

Established in 2005 under the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, NAVTTC is an apex body designed for promotion of technical and vocational education in the country. Since its inception, NAVTTC has been making continued efforts for human resource development, and it has generated a large number of employment opportunities for skilled youths overseas and benefitted the youth and the national economy.

Highlighting the importance of technical education, Javed said that students in the prevailing era of e-commerce need to receive technical and vocational education in view of market demands. He said university graduates should focus on learning high-tech skills like artificial intelligence, internet of things, web-designing, coding and CNC (computer numerical control) Mechanist.

Javed pointed out that skilled labour force could take Pakistan towards the path of prosperity and development. He said despite so many vocational and technical training institutes in the country, Pakistan’s contribution to the skilled force in the world is far below its true potential mainly because these centres don’t provide education according to the modern needs.

He also pointed out that Pakistan ranks among five leading countries in the world providing freelance services using digital mediums. Following the onset of Amazon, Ebbe, Daraz and e-commerce, the online business marketing has heralded a booming online business market, and Pakistan’s youths need to use these opportunities to lead the country towards economic growth.

NAVTTC has signed an agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under which the aspiring workers have to prove their craftsmanship with technical certification through NAVTTC. The visas for all Saudi-based companies in the cadres of construction, electrician, AC technician, plumber, and auto electrician have been made mandatory with skill verification test from NAVTTC.

Pakistan’s labour force stands among the top 10 largest labour forces in the world, and it is a huge challenge for the government to create employment opportunities for such a large population. Skill development is the way to meet the needs of such a large population.

The former chairman of NAVTTC said that education restructuring is taking place all over the world, and the youth are more willing to seek high-tech courses, and they are enrolling in high training programmes of data sciences, artificial intelligence and online trade entrepreneurship.

He said the youth used to run behind government jobs, but a new trend is emerging where the youth are willing to learn high-tech skills, and earn more through online marketing and entrepreneurship activities. More than 12 million Pakistanis are residing abroad for employment purposes. Foreign remittances are the second largest source of foreign exchange for Pakistan following the exports earnings.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk