Pakistan Launches NUTech to Prepare 21st Century Workforce

[Riaz Haq]

As technology begins to permeate every aspect of life in Pakistan, the country needs a balanced mix of highly skilled workers, technicians, mechanics, technologists, engineers, researchers and development scientists to meet the challenge.  Recent launch of National University of Technology (NUTech) is part of Pakistan government's response to this challenge.

21st Century Workforce:

Pakistan's economy is rapidly transforming from traditional agriculture to modern business and industry.  Accelerating penetration of smartphones, personal computers, flat screens, mobile broadband, indoor plumbing, motorized vehicles, home appliances, air-conditioners, tractors, tube-wells, advanced construction machines and  solar and other technology-based products and services requires a highly skilled workforce to design, manufacture, market, sell, operate and service.

Building this new highly skilled work force must begin with designing curricula and facilities. It also demands a new crop of trainers and educators and closer collaboration between academia and industry.

National University of Technology (NUTech) Campus in Islamanad

NUTech Launch:

National University of Technology (NUTech) has just been launched as a federally chartered institution of higher learning.  It is enrolling students now for its first academic semester starting in September 2018.

NUTech will not only produce hands-on engineers and scientists but it will also serve as an umbrella organization for training skilled technicians and tradespeople to build, service and maintain advanced technology-based plant and equipment.

NUTech will work with a national network of technical and vocational training institutes to produce skilled workers.  It will include representatives of business and industry in design of curricula to ensure these workers meet the needs of the industry.

Specialized Institutions:

Pakistan Air Force's Air University, established in 2002, is an example of a specialized institution aimed at developing human capital in the aviation sector.

Development of a new advanced fighter is a wide-ranging effort that will encompass building human capital in a variety of fields including material science, physics, electronics, computer science, computer software, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, avionics, weapons design, etc.

Air University has added a new campus in Kamra Aviation City. The university already offers bachelor's master's and doctoral degrees in several subjects. Pakistan Air Force Chief Sohail Aman told Quwa Defense News that the campus will “provide the desired impetus for cutting-edge indigenization programs, strengthen the local industry and harness the demands of foreign aviation industry by reducing … imports and promoting joint research and production ventures.”

Higher Education in Pakistan:

There are over 3 million students enrolled in grades 13 through 16 in Pakistan's 1,086 degree colleges and 161 universities, according to Pakistan Higher Education Commission report for 2013-14.  The 3 million enrollment is 15% of the 20 million Pakistanis in the eligible age group of 18-24 years.  In addition, there are over 255,000 Pakistanis enrolled in vocational training schools, according to Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA).

Graduation Day at NED Engineering University For 1300 Graduates in 2013

Pakistani universities have been producing over half a million graduates, including over 10,000 IT graduates, every year since 2010, according to HEC data. The number of university graduates in Pakistan increased from 380,773 in 2005-6 to 493,993 in 2008-09. This figure is growing with rising enrollment and contributing to Pakistan's growing human capital.

Source: UNESCO's Global Education Digest 2009

Higher education in Pakistan has come a long way since its independence in 1947 when there was only one university, the University of Punjab. By 1997, the number of universities had risen to 35, of which 3 were federally administered and 22 were under the provincial governments, with a combined enrollment of 71,819 students. A big spending boost by President Pervez Musharraf helped establish 51 new universities and awarding institutions during 2002-2008. This helped triple university enrollment from 135,000 in 2003 to about 400,000 in 2008, according to Dr. Ata ur Rehman who led the charge for expanding higher education during Musharraf years. There are 161 universities with 1.5 million students enrolled in Pakistan as of 2014.

Former Chairman of HEC summed up the country's higher education progress well in a piece he wrote for The News in 2012: "Pakistan has achieved critical mass and reached a point of take-off. For this phenomenal growth to continue, it is important for the government and other stakeholders to support and further strengthen the HEC as a national institution and protect its autonomy. If this momentum continues for another 10 years, Pakistan is certain to become a global player through a flourishing knowledge economy and a highly literate population".

Here's an introductory video about National University of Technology (NUTech) Pakistan:

https://youtu.be/ZDQ2dy3cBSY

Related Links:

Haq's Musings

10 Pakistan Universities Among Top 300 in Asia

Pakistan's Growing Human Capital

History of Literacy in Pakistan

Education Attainment in South Asia

Dr. Ata ur Rehman Defends HEC Reforms

Biotech and Genomics in Pakistan

Business Education in Pakistan

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[Riaz Haq]

Austria, Pakistan plan joint venture educational institute

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1739637/1-austria-pakistan-plan-joint-...

During a meeting with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Tariq Banuri, Austrian Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Brigitta Blaha announced that there was a joint venture in the works between the higher education sectors of two countries called Pak-Austria Fachhochschule: Institute of Applied Sciences & Technology (PAF-IAST).

The institute is being established in University of Haripur in collaboration with several Austrian institutions. She explained that Institute has dual objectives; creating a high quality technical education infrastructure at a tertiary level and creating high technology industry.

During the meeting HEC Chairman Dr Banuri, stressed the need for international collaboration in the education sector. He emphasised on its role as a stepping stone toward economic stability and social development.

The chairman welcomed the ambassador and placing importance on international partnerships he added that several Pakistani Higher Education Institutions have an encouraging history of academic collaboration with the Austrian education sector and assured that the HEC would continue to create opportunities for beneficial academic collaboration between the two countries.

Dr Brigitta Blaha assured that her office will extend its cooperation in strengthening academic and research linkages between the two countries. According to Dr Blaha, currently 41 Pakistani students are pursuing PhD degree in Austrian institutions. She emphasised on the critical need for enhancing this number.

Their meeting took place on June 21, 2018. HEC Executive Director Prof Dr Arshad Ali also joined the meeting.

Dr Banuri expressed his opinion that the improvement of Pakistani higher education sector over a short span of 15 years under the umbrella of HEC has become a possibility through the help and support of the Government of Pakistan.

He also highlighted that Pakistan Vision 2025 has added new reforms for the higher education sector.

Dr Banuri voiced his commitment to adopting a wholesome approach for advancement in all areas of the higher education sector including human resource development, promotion of basic and applied research, establishing university-industry linkage, encouraging entrepreneurial culture, quality education, physical and technology infrastructure development and international collaboration.

[Riaz Haq]

Pakistani students to be offered vocational training, education in China

https://nation.com.pk/01-Jul-2018/pakistani-students-to-be-offered-...

The CPEC Cultural Communication Centre (CCC) under its ‘Talent Corridor’ scheme will offer scholarships to 1,000 Pakistani students for a one-year vocational training starting from November this year in China.

“The students to be selected from across the country will be provided free tuition and dormitory during the training at different universities and institutes in China,” Echo Lee, Director General, CPEC CCC and CEO of St Xianglin Management and Consulting Company while talking to APP here on Sunday.

The CPEC CCC is located in China’s Suzhou Vocational University, which has the world-class facilities and able faculty and its functions include Sino-Pak students exchange, academic research and seminars, vocational education, organising Chinese culture experience camp and teachers exchange, she added.

Giving further details about scholarship scheme, she said it is a three level programme and the students will be taught outer space and high-speed train technology during the first level while in the middle level, they will be imparted education of hydro-power and solar energy engineering.

The students selected for the lowest level will get training for the driving of different machines and types of equipment including excavation machines and caterpillar etc.

Ms Echo Lee said this year, 1,000 students will be offered 20 majors from a high level to the lower level classes as compared to 100 scholarships in six majors last year.

While hoping for a positive response and cooperation from the Pakistani side, she said at present, the details are being discussed with the concerned officials in the Pakistan ministry of planning, development and reforms as well as the embassy of Pakistan in Beijing.

She informed the CPEC CCC is jointly working along with the Chinese education ministry which is affiliated with a number of vocational universities and institutes.

To a question, she claimed that vocational education in China is the highest level in the world even in some areas it is better than Germany and Japan.

The CEO said this cross-border education exchange programme is step one of the overall project and added in the next phases, equipment and teachers will be sent for vocational training of Pakistani students in Pakistan.

The Chinese vocational education centres, as well as educational parks, would be set up in Pakistan in future, she added.

She said her organization intends to donate some training equipment and looking forward to a positive response from Pakistani institutions which are interested to receive it.

About the cooperation in the past, she said her organization has signed a MoU with Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw (KP) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) governments to set up cultural communication centres under the CPEC framework.

These centres will serve as the main forum in the field of Sino-Pak education and cultural communication, she added.

[Riaz Haq]

#PTI's 14-Point for #Digital #Pakistan. #Elections2018 #ImranKhan https://www.techjuice.pk/pti-unveils-digital-policy-naya-pakistan/ PTI’s 14 Points for Digital Pakistan:
$2 billion set aside for National digital transformations & provision of different services to citizens through mobile.
Using technology to open government data to increase transparency
IT education of 50,000 students
Establishment of 120 new campuses to produce 100,000 technology graduates/year
Mathematics and Science teacher training and certification program
Five new major technology clusters (Special Economic Zones)
A focus will be on creating enabling environment for start-ups and entrepreneurs.
50,000 call center seats available on a turn-key basis
One window operation to register a new company
A global PR campaign involving expat community
Visa issuance on green passport for Businessmen and professionals
Simplification of processes for foreign ownership of companies
Public-Private Partnership on projects
Target will be set to increase the global ranking of Pakistan in ease of doing business

[Riaz Haq]

First-ever fee-free university to open in Pakistan next month

https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/337471-first-ever-fee-free-univer...

The world’s first fee-free university will be operational next month in Pakistan with 600 students enrolled for three different master degrees.

Dr Mohammed Amjad Saqib, executive director of a micro-finance firm offering interest-free loans (Qarz-e-Hasna) in Pakistan, told Khaleej Times that the institute will be opened in Kasur district, near Lahore, on August 14, 2018.

“We are establishing the first fee-free university in Pakistan where students will not have to pay any fee. This is some kind of long-term Qarz-e-Hasan. First you get education and pay after 5, 10 or 20 years, when you are able to return it; because remember that you got education but didn’t pay for it; but now when you have a job you can pay so that somebody else can also benefit,” he said.

Dr Amjad Saqib added that “education is ultimate solution of our problems. We can’t progress and compete with international community unless we are ahead in education. But it is a pity that a boy coming from a poor family may be able to complete 10-year education but can’t receive higher education. We are not doing justice with our talent”.

He pointed out that this residential university will be a national institute where 20 per cent of students will come from each province of Pakistan.

To get entry into the college, a student must obtain 75 per cent marks in matriculation examination followed by an examination conducted at the college.

[Riaz Haq]

Space Summer School Concluded At Institute Of Space Technology (IST)
Sumaira FH 4 hours ago Mon 30th July 2018 | 03:53 PM

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/space-summer-school-concluded...

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2018 ) :Space Summer school (SSS) organized with the participation of over 100 students of 60 schools and colleges of the country concluded here on Monday at Institute of Space Technology (IST).

The two-week activity based learning covered more than 50 interactive sessions in 10 exploration tracks for students in two levels as abecedarian and virtuoso.

It had a canvas of space themed activities, interactive lectures, hands on workshops, space career counselling, Dr. Abdus Salam space contest, space creative writing, space creative arts, space Spellathon, webinars and seminars, said a news release issued here.

Dr. Najam Abbas, Director Student Affairs and Programme Head SSS greeted the participants at the concluding session and appraised the accomplishments of Space Summer School under the initiative of Space Technology Education and Popularization (STEP).

The chief guest of the ceremony, Dr. Khurram Iqbal commended the initiative of Institute of Space Technology for creating cognizance about space technology among the youth and educating students about the benefits of space technology.

Dr. Khurram appreciated the efforts of IST for Space Technology education and popularization.

Space Summer School covered ten themes namely the Earth, Atmosphere, Aviation, Rocketry, Satellite Technology, Space Travel, Space for Life, Space Agencies, Astronomy and Astrophysics and space agencies.

It hosted two special webinars with Dr. Aquib Moin from UAE Space Agency�about UAE Mars Mission�and Dr. Nozair Khawaja from Germany�on Astrobiology.�IST also conducted the Dr. Abdus Salam Space Contest on the last day of space summer school in order to gauge the level of space learning of students.

Awards were given to the winners of Space Spellathon, Space creative writing, Space Arts, water rocket, aero modeling and drag parachute competitions. Space Summer School participants were also provided an opportunity to explore Planetarium, Aircraft Technology, CanSat Satellite development, water rocket & Quad- copter Design and Fabrication along with Astrolabe and Telescopy.

[Riaz Haq]

Hospitality Management Training Program

http://hashoofoundation.org/thematic-areas/human-capital-developmen...

Hospitality Management Training Program (HMTP) is one of the flagship programs of HF focused to impart knowledge and skills to young men and women giving them opportunities to learn & practice the skills required for the hospitality industry in Pakistan and abroad. HMTP was initiated in 1999 by introducing practical training in Marriott and Pearl Continental Hotels across Pakistan. HMTP has been expanded to Peshawar and Karachi. The qualification under this program offers food preparation, Culinary Art, Front Office, Reception, Operational Services, Food & Beverage Services and Accommodation Operations and Services. Other Technical and Vocational trainings include beautician, tailoring and professional skills training.

Following international vocational qualifications (basic to advanced diploma level) are being offered under this program:

Food Preparation and Culinary Art
Front Office and Reception Operation Services
Food & Beverage Services
Accommodation Operations and Services
HF trained over 5,000 youth since last few years, the program is facilitating youth with various International Vocational Qualifications (IVQs) curriculum/content, approved by City & Guilds UK and National Training Bureau, Islamabad.

[Riaz Haq]

#Pakistan #PTI to have comprehensive #education policy. "Vocational and Technical training is must. We are in the process of setting up skill universities besides being in close liaison with all chambers of commerce and other stakeholders in this regard" https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/363560-comprehensive-education-pol...

Federal minister for education and technical training Shafqat Mahmood on Monday declared out-of-school children, multiple streams of education, provision of quality education, removal of discrimination in education system and skill development real challenges for his ministry in the post-devolution regime and said the government was working on a comprehensive education policy to address them. 
"The new education policy will also ensure provision of quality education to the people and will provide a level- playing field and equal opportunities to everyone," he told World Bank country director Patchamuthu Illangovan, who called on him in the ministry here.

The meeting was also attended by education secretary Arshad Mirza. The minister told the visitor that the ministry would launch a special programme for the education of street children and introduce a standard curriculum for the entire country with core compulsory subjects.

He said some of the reforms introduced in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa education sector by the last PTI government would be replicated in other parts of the country. The minister said Pakistan currently faced various challenges in education sector and that the government was fully committed to handling them with the support of the World Bank.

"Though most powers and functions of the education ministry have devolved to provinces after 18th Constitutional Amendment, we will still try to take the lead in introducing positive changes in the sector," he said.

The minister said he would ensure the ministry's reorganisation in a way that would be reflective of the government's educational priorities. He said the ministry would focus its attention on skill and human development.

"Vocational and Technical training is must. We are in the process of setting up skill universities besides being in close liaison with all chambers of commerce and other stakeholders in this regard," he said.

The minister suggested that the World Bank provide support to Pakistan on skill development in Pakistan. The WB country director appreciated the steps of the government for the promotion of education and offered the bank's help and support for it.

"We are looking forward to work closely with the government of Pakistan for the progress and prosperity of the people of Pakistan and for promotion of education in the country," he said. The WB country director said the number of out-of-school children in Pakistan was a big problem and the World Bank would support any effort to bring the children to schools.

“Our second aim is that Pakistan should develop the national standards on education,” he said. Regarding the skill development, the WB country director said the bank was carrying out a study to know the gap between the current education and skills and the future nature of jobs.

"This exercise will be immensely beneficial for Pakistan, too, which can work on providing trainings in those skills that can match the future requirements of the jobs," he said. Both the minister and visitor agreed on keeping regular contact and coordination for addressing the challenges in the country's education sector.

[Riaz Haq]

Measuring human capital: a systematic analysis of 195 countries and territories, 1990–2016
Prof Stephen S Lim, PhD
Rachel L Updike, BA
Alexander S Kaldjian, MSc
Ryan M Barber, BS
Krycia Cowling, PhD
Hunter York, BA
et al

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)31941-X/fulltext

Top Map A: 1990   Bottom Map B: 2016

In 2016, Finland had the highest level of expected human capital of 28·4 health, education, and learning-adjusted expected years lived between age 20 and 64 years (95% uncertainty interval 27·5–29·2); Niger had the lowest expected human capital of less than 1·6 years (0·98–2·6). In 2016, 44 countries had already achieved more than 20 years of expected human capital; 68 countries had expected human capital of less than 10 years. Of 195 countries, the ten most populous countries in 2016 for expected human capital were ranked: China at 44, India at 158, USA at 27, Indonesia at 131, Brazil at 71, Pakistan at 164, Nigeria at 171, Bangladesh at 161, Russia at 49, and Mexico at 104. Assessment of change in expected human capital from 1990 to 2016 shows marked variation from less than 2 years of progress in 18 countries to more than 5 years of progress in 35 countries. Larger improvements in expected human capital appear to be associated with faster economic growth. The top quartile of countries in terms of absolute change in human capital from 1990 to 2016 had a median annualised growth in gross domestic product of 2·60% (IQR 1·85–3·69) compared with 1·45% (0·18–2·19) for countries in the bottom quartile.

Despite 25 years of progress in many dimensions of human capital, in 2016 these levels were not universally high (Figure 2, Figure 3). The top five countries were unchanged from 1990 except for the replacement of Canada with Taiwan (province of China). In 2016, all countries in western Europe, and many in central and eastern Europe, had more than 20 years of expected human capital, as did South Korea, Japan, China, Singapore, Taiwan (province of China), Turkey, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, USA, and Canada. Despite improvements, 24 countries in 2016 continued to have expected human capital below 5 years, with the five lowest-ranked countries being Niger (1·6 years; 95% UI 0·98–2·6), South Sudan (2·0 years; 1·2–3·0), Chad (2·7 years; 1·7–3·2), Burkina Faso (2·8 years; 1·8–4·2), and Mali (2·8 years; 2·0–3·8).
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Human capital refers to the attributes of a population that, along with physical capital such as buildings, equipment, and other tangible assets, contribute to economic productivity.1 Human capital is characterised as the aggregate levels of education, training, skills, and health in a population,2 affecting the rate at which technologies can be developed, adopted, and employed to increase productivity.3 The World Bank has brought new attention to this topic through its recently introduced Human Capital Project,4 which aims to “understand the link between investing in people and economic growth, and to accelerate financing for human capital investments.” A basic input needed for this aim to be fulfilled is an internationally comparable index of human capital, which currently does not exist. This study seeks to fill this global measurement gap.3
Although evidence supports human capital as a driver of growth, the World Bank has argued that investments in human capital are too low in low-income and middle-income countries.5 Much of the World Bank's investments focus on physical rather than human capital.5 Only 1·5% of the World Bank International Development Association concessional grants are for health and 1·9% are for education.6 As countries graduate to borrowing from the non-concessional International Bank for Reconstruction and Development framework, the shares for health increase to 4·2% and to 5·2% for education.6 A focus on building physical assets might also be driven by time horizons; such projects can yield returns sooner than investing in children's health and education, and the political process in many nations might reward short-run returns.6

[Riaz Haq]

#Pakistan Launches First National Accelerator On Closing #Skills Gap in Partnership With #WEF. Leaders include #Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood, Shazia Syed, MD Unilever, Mohammed Aurangzeb, CEO, #HBL, Ghias Khan, CEO, Engro https://www.valuewalk.com/2019/07/national-accelerator-closing-skil... via @valuewalk 

The Prime Minster met with the visiting President of the World Economic Forum, Mr.BorgeBrende, at the Prime Minister’s office. At the meeting, the Prime Minister announced the establishment of the National Accelerator on Closing the Skills Gapin Pakistan, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, with Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) serving as its national secretariat.

The World Economic Forum is the international organization for public-private cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. It is independent, impartial and not tied to any special interests. The Forum has established the Centre for New Economy and Society (CNES) to provide leaders with a platform to understand and act on emerging economic and social challenges.The Forum’s Centre for New Economy and Society has partnered with PSDF to work together on the future of education and work by setting up a National Accelerator on Closing the Skills Gap in Pakistan. The Accelerator will aim to increase the employability of the current workforce and increase work-readiness and critical skills in the future workforce.

The National Accelerator will be led and guided by a team of Co-Chairs from the public and private sectors. The Government will be represented by Mr. Shafqat Mahmood, Federal Minister of Education and Professional Training and Mr. Zulfiqar Bukhari, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development. The Co-Chairs from the private sector include Ms. Shazia Syed, MD Unilever Pakistan, Mr. Mohammed Aurangzeb, President and CEO, Habib Bank Limited, Mr. Ghias Khan, CEO, Engro Corporation. PSDF CEO, Mr. Jawad Khan, will be the National Coordinator.

Focusing on the most strategic sectors in the economy, the Accelerator will also onboard the CEOs of 50 to 100 leading companies in Pakistan as well as academics, policy makers and technical experts from the education and skills development space. The Centre for New Economy and Society has already established 5 such Accelerators in Argentina, Oman, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and India, with 10 more Accelerators expected by 2020.

At the meeting, the Prime Minister shared his Government’s political and financial commitment to reform the skills development sectors in Pakistan and thanked the World Economic Forum for choosing Pakistan as a founding member of the Closing the Skills Gap National Accelerator initiative. Given its global reach, experience and expertise, the Prime Minister expressed his confidence that the Forum’s engagement will help provide new opportunities for Pakistan’s youth and help them develop new skills to fully embrace the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Mr. BorgeBrende, President, World Economic Forum, said: “The launch of the National Accelerator on Closing the Skills Gap is an important milestone in our relationship with Pakistan and it is just the start. Many of Pakistan’s national priorities are the core focus of the Forum’s work. From climate change, water scarcity and connectivity to regional cooperation, the Forum is ready to offer its platform to support Pakistan’s economic transformation.”


Ms. Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director and Head of the Forum’s Centre for New Economy and Society, said: “The Fourth Industrial Revolution will lead to significant change in the employment and skills landscape globally over the coming years – and Pakistan is no exception. Through our Accelerator initiative we look forward to supporting Pakistan with an integrated platform for learning and action to proactively manage this change.”

[Riaz Haq]

‘Hunarmand Pakistan’ to transform skill sector, says minister

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/592255-hunarmand-pakistan-to-trans...

The government is fully committed to reforming the skill sector of the country that will not only ensure a prosperous future for young people but also the country.

This was said by Minister for Federal Education & professional Training Shafqat Mehmood during a visit to the new building of National Vocational & Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) here on Wednesday.

NAVTTC Chairman Syed Javed Hasan and Executive Director Dr. Nasir Khan briefed the minister on the 14 components of ‘Hunarmand Pakistan’ programme, a component of Prime Minister’s ‘Kamyab Jawan’ programme, under which NAVTTC is initiating a comprehensive reforms process of the country’s skill development sector to make it compatible with the requirements of the country’s huge youth population as well as domestic and international job markets.

“Hunarmand Pakistan is a unique and comprehensive program aimed at skilling our most precious national asset, youth, by creating employment opportunities for their social and economic uplift and enabling them to play pivotal role in the national development.

"It presents both challenges and opportunities for NAVTTC to bring reforms in the skill sector of the country,” he added.

The minister emphasized on a uniform certification regime that would serve as a gold standard and would be recognized both in the local and international market.

He also stressed that selection of the best TVET institutes based on merit and transparency must be ensured which is paramount to the overall success of ‘Hunarmand Pakistan’ programme.

“We are focused on imparting quality training to our youth which is the only way to guarantee maximum employability to our TVET graduates,” said chairman NAVTTC Syed Javed Hasan.

“This huge project envisages the reform agenda of TVET sector of Pakistan, and has been developed after extensive deliberations and feedback from key stakeholders from across the country incorporating all eight identified interventions as prescribed in the road map by the Task Force on Technical and Vocational Education," said Executive Director NAVTTC Dr. Nasir Khan.

The meeting was also attended by all the Regional Director Generals of NAVTTC.

The key components of this programme include development and standardization of 200 technical and vocational qualifications, international accreditation of 50 Pakistani TVET institutes, extension of NAVTTC’s Job Portal with National Exchange Portal, establishment of 75 smart Tech labs for virtual skill development programs & distant learning programmes, establishment of 10 country-of-destination specific facilitation centers, establishment of 70 labs/workshops in Madrassah(s), Skill development training of 50,000 youth in High-end technologies, training to 50,000 youth belonging to less developed areas of the country especially Balochistan, GB, AJK, and newly added districts of KP (ex-FATA), Southern Punjab and rural Sindh, Apprenticeship training of 20,000 youth in industry under Apprenticeship Act 2018, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) of 50,000 youth to bring informally trained workers into the national mainstream, establishment of National Skills Accreditation Council at Islamabad, accreditation of 2000 TVET institutes across Pakistan, and establishment of 50 incubation centers to promote self-employment and entrepreneurship in skilled youth.

The minister appreciated the efforts of NAVTTC to uplift the TVET sector of Pakistan and said the effective execution and implementation of the program will transform the skill development of the country. The minister also planted a sapling at the new premises of NAVTTC.