LAHORE, June 21: The Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (Tevta) is launching the first of its kind programme to impart training in the latest technical and vocational skills to seminary students all over the province. The authority will charge no fee from trainees.

A large number of students of seminaries have currently no opportunity to get technical and vocational training in their institutes.

Under the programme, Tevta will establish technical training centres in deeni madaris and offer short courses of three to six months in three streams — technical, vocational and commerce — in 58 different trades. Those who will qualify these short courses will have better opportunities to get jobs in market after completing their education.

A decision to the effect was taken at a Tevta board meeting, presided over by authority chairman Khalid Mahmood at the Tevta secretariat on Wednesday.

The board was told that the programme aimed at providing purposeful technical education to the huge manpower studying in seminaries and generating employment opportunities. It will generate self-employment and raise the standard of living of the students.

Tevta has established its first Government Technical Training Centre at Jamia Islamia Kamoki, on the GT Road, Gujranwala as a pilot project with trades of electrical wiring, technician and HVRAC technician. The centre will churn out 100 trainees in both trades in a year.

Following a pilot project, the authority is planning to establish two more GTTCs in deeni madaris in north and south zones. The new centres will launch their operation during the next financial year.

To accommodate thousands of seminary students, the board was informed, the authority was planning to establish some 30 GTTCs in the institutions concerned all over the province. These centres would be able to offer three- and six-month courses to students and produce some 4,000 students having technical and vocational skills in different trades every year.

As the seminaries’ management is ready to sign a Memorandum of Understanding, the Tevta board has also approved different functions and responsibilities of the authority as well as the institutes for successful operation of the programme.

The proposed agreement envisages that Tevta will provide equipment, furniture, consumable training material, text material and teaching and non-teaching staff for the courses in seminaries. It will also conduct tests, examination and award certificate to the successful trainees.

While the deeni madaris will provide space/rooms for workshops and classrooms. They will nominate primary and middle class students in a group of 16 to 20 and spare them from their regular studies/classes for the training according to an agreed upon schedule.

SHORT COURSES: The Tevta board also approved the launch of short courses in 26 disciplines to develop workers to meet the skilled manpower requirements of the local industry.

When contacted, Tevta General Manager (Academics) Engineer Zahir J. Paracha said all 26 courses had been developed in consultation with the prospective employers in respective fields. The courses will be run in different Tevta institutes, along with the on-the-job training in industrial environment.

The board was told that Tevta had earlier organised a pilot project in collaboration with the All-Pakistan Contractors Association and initiated three-month training courses for steel fixers, masons and shuttering carpenters at the Government College of Technology, Raiwind Road.

As these courses were designed in keeping with the requirements of the construction industry, the board was told that all the pass-outs were offered jobs.

STIPENDS: The Tevta board also approved the plan to offer stipend/scholarships to the needy students enrolled in its different short courses. It is running short courses in its 402 institutions.

Tevta management learnt that many students attending short courses were finding it difficult to continue because of financial constraints. In order to minimise the dropout rate and enhance enrolment in short courses, the Tevta board approved stipend up to Rs1,000 in technical, commerce and vocational streams.

OPERATIONS WING: The Tevta board also approved restructuring of the authority’s operations wing to focus on its technical, vocational, commercial streams and service centres through expert officials. For the purpose, the board approved appointment of four deputy general managers.