The British Council has introduced a program called ‘VET Toolbox’ in Pakistan to support the newly launched National Accreditation Council for Technical and Vocational stream (NAC-TVs).
British Council Country Head, Amir Ramzan, briefed Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training, Shafqat Mahmood, about the program in a meeting on Thursday.
“The wages of Pakistani workers employed in the international job market are lower than workers of other countries due to a lack of international recognition of Pakistani Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) qualifications,” Amir Ramzan said.
He added that the funding would help NAC’s objective to accredit 2,000 TVET institutes as per international standards.
VET Toolbox is a leading European development agency that funds and supports demand-driven vocational education and training across the world. The agency is co-funded by the European Commission and the German Government, its official website says.
Shafqat Mahmood appreciated the British Council’s project and said that it would not only help in the formulation of accreditation policies and their implementation plan for the TVET sector across Pakistan but also help develop linkages with international accreditation bodies.
The move will also increase employment opportunities for Pakistani skilled workers in the international job market by many folds.
The minister also appreciated the efforts of the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) and NAC to uplift the TVET sector of Pakistan in accordance with the vision of the government.
He said that the effective execution of the TVET sector policies would transform the skill development sector of the country.
Speaking at the occasion, NAVTTC Chairman, Syed Javed Hassan, said:
“We are focused on imparting quality training to our youth which is the only way to guarantee maximum employability to our TVET graduates and the cooperation with the British Council will enable us to achieve the desired objective.”
NAC Chairman, Mian Waqas Masood, presented the six months performance report of the department and highlighted that six TVET institutes had received international accreditation so far.
“The cooperation with the British Council will further accelerate the process of international accreditation,” he added.
