The Government of Punjab in collaboration with The World Bank carried out a diagnostic study in 2014 of the TVET sector in Punjab. The study was conducted in order to appreciate the rapid changes occurring in the social, economic and technological environment of industry and TVET sector in Punjab. The study identified that main challenges in the skills development sector of Punjab include: limited supply of skilled workers; weak institutional framework; lack of evidence-based policy making; low quality and relevance of training; a market failure in industry-provision of training; and low access to skills training. The assessment also noted that Punjab faces scarcity of significant skills and mismatches with respect to market requirements. Furthermore, it is significant from the study that there is a growing demand for market relevant, job-specific skills produced by the skills sector, especially in emerging economic sectors. As the implication of the results of the study, Government of Punjab and the World Bank jointly launched a project namely Punjab Skills Development Project from 2015-2020.
The Punjab Skills Development Project (PSDP) disburses funds against the achievement of targets with a prime objective to improve the quality, labor, market relevance and access to skills training programs in priority areas within Punjab.
In Punjab, the TVET sector is putting its efforts with the total enrolment capacity of half a million in technical and vocational institutes. These numbers do not fulfill the demand and supply of the province. Moreover, TVET is a demanding business in which many things are on higher stake so it has to be measured with each indicator and its concrete outcome. Most countries like Germany, Norway, China, and Japan are appropriately spending in the TVET sector and monitoring the Return on Investment from the amount spent each time.
Progressively, PSDP is piloting the implementation of Competency Based Training & Assessment (CBT&A) packages in Punjab which is the basis of the ongoing TVET sector reforms in Punjab.
PSDP has supported Government of Punjab in formalizing Punjab Skills Development Authority (PSDA) whose Act has been passed to avoid discrepancies related to regulating and promoting the TVET sector in Punjab. Moreover, PSDP is helping the Punjab Government to create a unified focal agency for skills assessments with significant representation from the private sector, skills experts, training providers, and government departments.
Punjab Skills Advisory Forum has been established with the aim to promote collaboration and support implementation of TVET reforms in Punjab and providing a platform for all the relevant stakeholders to verify, adopt, and promote best practices in the TVET sector in Punjab. Under this forum, all relevant public bodies, private associations, and industry representatives come up together to address and resolve challenges of the TVET sector in Punjab.
PSDP has supported in the legislation of Technical Universities of Punjab in which first ever technical university of Pakistan namely ‘Punjab Tianjin University of Technology, Lahore’ was established. It is functional and offering bachelor degree in Fashion Design Technology, Textile Engineering Technology, Electrical Engineering Technology, Automobile Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Civil Engineering Technology and Architecture Technology with a focus on applied knowledge and updated market driven skillset. Similarly, Acts have been passed for the establishment of the Mir Chakar Khan Rind University of Technology, Dera Ghazi Khan and The Punjab University of Technology, Rasul.
The Government’s Skills Development Sector Plan is holistic and addresses each element of the design. Under the Punjab Growth Strategy, 2 million training target 2018 was benchmarked. This has been done after identifying 12 priority areas that include: Textile & Garments; Light Engineering; Auto Parts; Surgical Instruments; Cutlery; Agricultural Implants; Pumps; Sports; Fans; Construction; Pharmaceutical; and Food Processing. A cumulative of 2.143 million training delivered all across Punjab. It does not only increase the supply of skilled labor force but also improves the economic and non- economic returns to skills training.
Demand-driven skills training is possible through the active involvement of public and private sector with participation and special attention to be paid for enhancing the enrollment of women in courses to grow the TVET sector in the era of economic disability. Expert youth might uplift nationwide economic system by way of cost-efficient processes and fulfill the wants of commercial human useful resource. TVET reforms in Punjab are uplifting TVET sector by full commitment and dedication so that the maximum number of expected skilled graduates play their role in the development of the national economy.
