In line with the policies of the Government of the Punjab and mandate of the authority, Technical and Vocational Training Authority (Tevta) has planned to expand the scope of technical training to the youth.
In order to increase the number of skilled manpower for local industry, new courses are being started and to improve the quality of training, collaboration is being sought with foreign agencies like Jica, Unido, GTZ, USAID and telecom operators. Chairman Tevta Mohsin Syed said this while addressing the officers at Tevta Zonal Office.
General Manager (Operations) Tanvir A Zaffar, General Manager (Academics) Javed Iqbal, Zonal Manager (North) Muhammad Rashid and other officers were also present on the occasion. Mohsin said that Chief Minister of the Punjab Shahbaz Sharif has desired that Tevta should associate itself with international organisation for support in curriculum development, equipment up-gradation and teachers training.
In line with the policy of the Govt and vision of the CM about the scope of technical training, an MoU, among Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (Tevta), Japan International Co-operation Agency(Jica) and National Vocational and Technical Education Commission(Navtec) would be signed on Friday.
It would help Tevta to enhance the quality of technical education being imparted to the youth. Chairman Tevta said, Tevta under Special Training Programme (TSTP) has already trained almost one lakh semi-skilled workers during the last one year. It has helped in meeting the demand of local industry for skilled workers.
It has also enhanced the employability of youth belonging to lower income group of the society. According to the reports of Tevta placement cell, most of them have either been employed by the private sector or self-employed and are making their livelihood successfully, Mohsin Syed said.
To promote Technical Education and Vocational Training across the province, Mohsin Syed said, Govt of the Punjab has allocated Rs 2.3 billion for the Annual Development Programme (ADP) of 2008-09. Rs 1,351.029 million would be spent for completion of 51 on-going schemes and Rs 948.971 million would be spent for initiating 34 new schemes. Out of 34 new schemes, seven are from technical stream, 22 from vocational and one from commerce stream in addition to four miscellaneous including Labour Market Information System.
An increase of 360 percent in the allocation of ADP budget 2008-09 is a witness of priority of Shahbaz Sharif and his vision to enhance global competitiveness through production of qualitative workforce by developing demand driven, standardised, dynamic and integrated technical education and vocational training systems across the Province, he said.
Our all programmes, Chairman Tevta said, are market oriented and youth is being trained in employable skills. We have also developed a system for the placement of our pass-outs according to the level of their learning. Maximum numbers of Tevta pass outs are adjusted in the local industry. A handsome numbers of Tevta trained youth have also been absorbed in the private sector.
In this way, Tevta is helping poor and unskilled youth to become a useful member of society. It is being done by efficiently utilising available facilities at existing Tevta Institutions across the province, Mohsin concluded.