Skilling for The Future: Evaluating Post-Reform Status of “Skilling Pakistan” and Identifying Success Factors for TVET Improvement in The Region

Abstract

Technical and vocational education plays a pivotal role in mobilizing the wheels of the nation towards development and prosperity and hence it's inevitably important to focus on enhancing the quality of education provided in TVET institutes. Considering the huge skills gap Pakistan has initiated a five-year reform support program in 2011 to transform the current TVET system proposed by National skills strategy. This study hence aims to evaluate the outcomes of the reform support program through field verification and taking inputs from the major stakeholders. The case study approach with single embedded design in which different polytechnic institutions operated under government, private sector and Non-Governmental Organisations were used as unit of analysis sharing the same contextual situations. The findings show that despite getting the support from the international donor agencies and prudently strategized policies, the government has not been successful in achieving the desired outcomes of the reform support program. The success factor identified that could thrive the TVET sector is the strong coalition among all the stakeholders including government, private sector and employers' federation.

The Secondary School Students’ Interest toward the TVET Programs: Demographic Differences

“…The fourth phase between 1980 and 1990 became the implementation and expansion phase, and this involved the introduction of the National Training Ordinance during the first year in this phase. By 1988, the participation of women in technical education began to increase, and three women polytechnics were established in Faisalabad, Multan, and Bahawalpur (Chamadia & Shahid, 2018). The last period under the classification considered in this study, the qualitative improvement period in vocational training occurred from 1991 to 1999.…”

“…In Pakistan, TVET faces many challenges: cultural and social norms play a vital role in developing individual interest and keeping pupils reluctant to enroll in technical institutes (Chamadia & Shahid, 2018). Personal interest is a construct that plays a crucial role in understanding human behavior and motivation.…”

Who Demands Technical and Vocational Education in Pakistan? A PSLM Analysis of Socio-Economic Determinants

“…In Pakistan, the existing setup of the National Vocational and Training Commission (NAVTTC) at the federal level and the Technical and Vocational Training Authorities (TEVTAs) at the provincial level is responsible for the provision of skilled workers in the country. The government has established engineering colleges and polytechnic institutes across the country, and each province has also established an authority for technical and vocational education (Chamadia & Shahid, 2018). The Government College of Technologies (GCTs) and Government Polytechnic Institutes (GPIs) provide diplomas of associate engineering (three years) and bachelor of technology (four years) in various trades across Pakistan.…”

“…There is ample empirical study that discusses the prospect and status of TVET in Pakistan (for example, Ahmed, 2019;Chamadia & Shahid, 2018;Chamadia & Mubarik, 2021;Raza & Khalid, 2017). These studies conclude that the TVET sector in Pakistan plays a key role in increasing earnings, employment rates, and labour market outcomes for both genders.…”

Bibliometric Analysis for Entrepreneurship skill Improvement in SMEs Pakistan Sector

“…"in the context of Pakistan, no uniform and widespread definition of SMEs has been available that effected the progress and fulfillment of the SMEs (Aftab et al, 2021). The authorities of Pakistan and political regimes have failed to set up a synchronized definition for SMEs (Chamadia & Shahid, 2018). A harmonized definition considering micro, small, medium and large establishments will help to launch a valid mechanism for the improvement of SMEs.…”