ISLAMABAD: To mark World Youth Skills Day, celebrated annually on July 15, the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) has launched a comprehensive social media campaign to raise awareness about the value and importance of skill education.

Recognising the impact of mainstream media in spreading this vital message, NAVTTC Chairperson Gulmina Bilal Ahmad appeared on PTV News’ morning show ‘Subh-i-Pakistan’. During her appearance, she discussed NAVTTC’s courses, enrollment procedures and emphasised the importance of skill learning, urging parents to encourage their children to acquire skills, which she referred to as “the currency of the future”, says a press release.

Following this, NAVTTC hosted a media briefing chaired by Gulmina Bilal Ahmad, which was attended by the director general (Accreditation), director general (Planning and Development), and other key staff members.

During the briefing, the chairperson outlined NAVTTC’s initiatives and recent measures taken to enhance the transparency of the commission’s programmes.

She stated: “With new measures such as biometric attendance, CCTV surveillance, and third-party monitoring by leading M&E firms, I am certain there are no fake institutes. If anyone can point out even a single fake institute, NAVTTC is ready to take full responsibility.”

Ms Ahmad also highlighted the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) initiative, an important programme offered by NAVTTC that certifies informally trained skilled workers in the country. She noted that NAVTTC had certified over 49,000 individuals through this programme, recognising their skills which would otherwise go unacknowledged.

Representatives from prominent media outlets attended the briefing, where Gulmina Bilal Ahmed announced the upcoming skills competition, which would initially be held at the provincial level and later scaled to the national level.

Ms Ahmed also took the opportunity to thank local industry partners for their interest and collaboration with NAVTTC.

She highlighted recent job fairs hosted in partnership with the industry and announced an upcoming job fair in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Emphasising the importance of industry involvement, she said: “The industry is our customer; we are producing resources for them. It is imperative that they are involved in curriculum and training design. Therefore, we have recently ensured industry engagement.”

Addressing a question about the challenges of overlapping functions with Tevtas, the NAVTTC chairperson informed the audience about the National TVET Coordination Committee, formed under the directives of SIFC. She added that the forum provided a platform to address challenges faced by the TVET sector in the country by improving coordination.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2024