International conference: ‘Employers’ engagement vital for producing professional workforce’

Staff, students of TVET colleges take part in the event.

There is always a consistent demand of skilled workforce from the developing to the developed world and it should be used to advantage.

This was the consensus among participants of an international conference on employer engagement and entrepreneurship for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector held on Monday.

Held under the Skills for Employability programme of the British Council, the conference focused on the benefits of employers’ engagement in curriculum development and policy-making process in TVET sector, said a press release issued by the British Council.

In addition to teachers, students and principals of TVET colleges from across the country, experts from Pakistan, United Kingdom, Bangladesh and Nepal participated in the conference.

Participants agreed that the engagement will result in enabling policymakers to develop demand-driven curriculum which will not only produce workforce with expertise and knowledge, but will also pave ways to promote entrepreneurship amongst young TVET graduates.

In addition to that, there was also a general agreement on the challenges which countries like Pakistan face.

One of the major challenges highlighted was how to equip manpower with the expertise and skills demanded in the global market.

Federal Minister for Professional and Technical Training Riaz Hussain Pirzada, the chief guest on the occasion, praised the role of TVET in the country’s development.

Participants applauded the role of the conference in bringing together all stakeholders to discuss issues within the TVET sector along with its challenges and demands.

Many of the participants suggested regularly holding such conferences as they help everyone, particularly policymakers in devising effective policies according to the needs and demands of all stakeholders.

British High Commissioner Adam Thompson, the guest of honour at the event, talked about how TVET sector in the UK is contributing to the economy by producing demand-driven workforce.

The conference also had an impressive exhibition setup by enterprising young students from TVET colleges across Pakistan.

There were separate panel discussions on employer engagement and entrepreneurship, where experts from different countries discussed the importance of these two aspects in the TVET sector. The discussions were followed by a question and answer session.

The findings of the two sessions on employer engagement and entrepreneurship were later shared with the participants.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2012.