The European Union has concluded €15 Million worth of grant contracts with six organizations to improve the technical and vocational training across Pakistan. The projects will focus on the promotion of demand driven skill development by partnering with the private sector. Through these projects the EU will support approximately 40,000 trainees and 700 master trainers in Pakistan. Contributions have also been made for improving teaching and training materials.

An additional € 4 million is provided to the national technical and vocational training programme (www.tvetreform.org.pk) that is jointly funded with the EU Member States, the Netherlands and Germany. This € 47 million programme is implemented by GiZ. It works with National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) at the national level, as well with the provincial Technical Education and Vocational Training Authorities (TEVTAs) and training providers for their capacity building.

So far, the main achievements of the programme include:

• Developing provincial/regional skill development action plans in line with the National Skills Strategy;
• Establishing a technical unit within NAVTTC to improve its organisational and management capacity; revision of 32 existing curricula;
• Developing of 18 new competency based training curricula;
• Initiating a fast-track in-service pedagogical raining of 10,000 TVET teachers;
• Setting up 14 pilot innovative training projects under the Fund for Innovative Training;
• Establishing of first learning region in FATA to improve livelihoods through sustainable small-scale farming systems and income generation opportunities for women;
• And constitution of a core group with Employers Federation of Pakistan to facilitate active engagement of the private sector in TVET delivery and policy formulation as well as highlighting the successful models of Public Private Partnership for vocational training.

Through these and other initiatives the EU is seeking to promote technical and vocational training as a way for young Pakistanis to find employment in sectors of the economy in need of skilled labour.