IN February 1972, I had joined a light engineering enterprise at Kot Lakhpat, Lahore as a labour officer. The factory, recently acquired by the state, employed around 2,000 workers. I soon found out that there were about 30 children between the ages of nine to 12 who worked there manufacturing diesel engines, ceiling fans and a few other items. They were called shagirds, and would perform the duty of helpers with workers such as fitters, turners, shaper men, welders, electricians, etc.

These children, inherited by the state enterprise from the factory’s previous owners, were paid a monthly salary of Rs30-40 — sufficient then to supplement their poor families’ incomes. Besides this, they would learn skills of their respective trades free of cost. All workers employed in hazardous occupations were required under the law to be examined and issued fitness certificates every six months by the factories’ chief medical inspector. Prior to its nationalisation, the chief medical inspector was never seen at the factory, its previous owners would keep him at bay. This changed once the factory was nationalised.

When the medical inspector paid his first visit in March 1972, he prohibited all children from entering the factory premises. Since the entry of children itself was unlawful, protests by their parents were amicably handled by the management. Restricting children from working in the factory was enforced by the medical inspector, but he did not exercise similar checks on their working in wayside restaurants, cycle repair and tyre shops, automobile workshops, etc. I am sure the children ousted from the state enterprise must have been absorbed in such occupations.

Recognition of prior learning can lead to better opportunities.

Upon entering adulthood, such children continue to earn livelihoods by working in their respective vocations, eventually gaining as much skill as possessed by those who qualify from various vocational training institutes and apprenticeship schemes. However, this would not make them eligible to receive a competency certificate from any institute — credentials which would facilitate them in acquiring better jobs.

It is heartening to note that, recently, the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission initiated the National Vocational Qualifications Framework (NVQF), under which the skills of individuals, acquired through previous non-formal or informal learning, will be recognised. In addition, the current competencies of an individual seeking certification will also be recognised through interviews and assessment tests.

The NVQF allows the recognition and certification of skills that may have been gained through life experiences, including other forms of training and formal or informal training experiences. These skills can be recognised through the process of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) or Recognition of Current Competencies (RCC). RPL is the process by which an individual’s prior learning outside the formal system (with portfolio evidences) is seen as sufficient to meet the necessary standards of currently defined competencies; hence, the individual’s skills can be formally recognised and the appropriate NVQF qualification certificate or record of achievement issued. Say a woman has worked in beauty parlours for 25 years. She has never attended a formal training programme but has extensive experience. She now owns a parlour herself and submits an application for RPL. She provides an extensive portfolio of photos showing her work, testimonials from clients and prizes from competitions. The assessors create a competency profile and, after a trades skills interview and assessment, she is awarded the full qualification certification.

RCC is the process through which competencies currently possessed by an individual (without presenting any documentary evidences) can be as­­sessed against the relevant compete­ncy standards and may be given re­cog­n­ition through the relevant NVQF qua­­lification certificate or record of achievement. Take another woman who has worked as a domestic cook for many years. She has had no formal training but has learnt how to prepare food for the family employing her and for more formal occasions. She applies to the assessment centre and after some discussion undertakes the assessment for national certification as a cook. She is found to be competent and is thus issued a record of achievement.

Individuals who have already acquired skills through prior learning can enter at an appropriate level out of six competency levels of NVQF through the RPL/RCC pathway. These processes will be managed by the accredited qualification awarding bodies. RPL/RCC programmes of assessment and schedules of events advertised prominently in newspapers, and other print, and electronic, media.

This scheme appears to have been devised with sincere intentions and is expected to cater to the long-standing need of skilled individuals and demands of trade unions. It is hoped that quality assurance procedures will also be introduced to ensure validity, reliability and transparency of assessments and certification under RPL/RCC.

The writer is an industrial relations professional.

Published in Dawn September 12th, 2016