The Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (Tevta) is planning to start a comprehensive campaign for counselling and guidance of the students passing out from the schools. The youth would be motivated to get technical education and vocational training from Tevta Institutes to become skilful which will be beneficial for their future career planning, Tevta Chairman Saeed Ahmad Alvi stated this while talking to Business Recorder.
Currently Tevta is imparting technical education and vocational training to more than 0.125 million youth annually under various disciplines. The authority has started finalising the plans to train five lakhs youth annually in different demand driven trades.
In this regard, a number of new initiatives are being introduced shortly to initiate market oriented skill training programmes throughout the province of the Punjab, he added. National economic development is not possible without skilled manpower. That is the reason we are striving hard. It would not only facilitate helpless educated individuals to earn their livelihood but eradicate poverty and bring prosperity in the society, he added.
All these efforts would be done by efficiently utilising already available facilities at existing Tevta Institutions across the Province, he maintained. Keeping in view the market trends, amendments are also being made in the various Tevta disciplines and courses to meet the growing demand of industry locally and globally. Initially focus would be on agro-technology support courses for farmers to enable them for mechanised farming for enhanced per acre yield at the lowest possible input cost, he added.
He said that Tevta would also make necessary arrangements to offer courses in livestock sector. These courses will be helpful for livestock, dairy farm management and increase in output and more income for rural area population.
These training courses will be offered with the active participation of private sector, leading firms and multinational companies, operating in the said industry, he added. Alvi said that under the instructions of the Chief Minister of the Punjab, policy decision has been taken to establish modern vocational training institutes at tehsil level across the province of the Punjab. It has also been decided to establish placement offices at tehsil level to arrange the jobs of Tevta pass-outs in the local and foreign industries.
It would not only help the local industry to meet with the requirement of skilled manpower and increase the productivity but also foreign exchange earning for the country. Trades and details of curriculum would be decided in consultation with the industrialists, entrepreneurs and civil society of the concerned area, he added.
To improve the quality of training, collaboration is being sought with foreign agencies like Jica, Uido, GTZ, USAID and Telecom operators. Availability of skilled manpower is not only a key to success for industrial development but also for individual socio-economic prosperity and poverty alleviation in the society, he said.
A large number of Tevta pass outs are adjusted in the local industry. Last year, 5,973 pass-outs of regular courses and 21,365 of short courses have been employed in different organisations. Employers have shown satisfaction over the performance of Tevta trained skilled workforce.