LAHORE: The National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) has launched competency-based training and assessment (CBT&A) to focus on skills, knowledge, understanding and attitudes/values of students across the country.

The NAVTTC, technical education & vocational training authorities (Tevtas), trade testing boards (TTBs), Punjab Vocational Training Council (PVTC), Punjab Board of Technical Education (PBTE) and a number of private sector technical and vocational training institutes have jointly introduced CBT&A in select vocational trades across Pakistan.

“The prime purpose of this initiative is to improve observable, demonstrable and assessable performance of the students. Enabling them to acquire competencies, which are recognised by the industry,” Uzma Idrees, an IT instructor at the Government Staff Training Vocational College Faisalabad, told Dawn here on Sunday.

She said through CBT&A system the students were getting employment opportunities here and abroad.

“Besides theory-cum-practice based training system, the informal skilled workers get their skills assessed and certified through recognition of prior learning (RPL) and current competencies. We also involve industry in all the steps of training delivery right from designing the skills to assessment and placement of the skilled workers,” she said.

Ms Idrees who has been teaching since 2011 said she herself got the opportunity of taking part in a number of TVET workshops to improve her skills. “We get training assessments of different trades like graphics designs, e-Commerce, certifications in computer applications and other areas that help impart better training to students,” she said.

Uzma Idrees said it had never been easy especially for women to get technical training but it certainly helped them earn their livelihood.

“I belong to the humble background but today I am supporting my family especially my younger siblings to get their education,” she said.

Uzma is one of the beneficiaries of assessor’s training programme under TVET sector support programme funded by the European Union and Germany. The programme anticipates to train 1,500 assessors and principals in different trades.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2017