Through VET Toolbox, the British Council supported Pakistan’s TVET sector to embed new reforms aimed at promoting apprenticeships, enhancing accreditation and making TVET more inclusive.
Promoting apprenticeships
As part of its long-term strategy to boost work-based learning, Pakistan’s government passed the Apprenticeships Act 2018 to strengthen apprenticeships across the TVET system.
To support this, the British Council delivered two VET Toolbox initiatives to raise awareness of the law and support its implementation.
A key milestone was the development of a practical handbook on how to implement the new Act, with a focus on promoting apprenticeships across the private sector and supporting businesses to design new apprenticeship schemes. This was backed by targeted workshops, delivered to 250 training providers and employers in eight cities, on applying the handbook to their own contexts.
Next, capacity-building support was given to TVET officials, training providers and employers in Punjab – the first province to implement the new Act – through step-by-step guidance to plan and deliver apprenticeships and overcome challenges associated with implementation.
Enhancing accreditation
In 2021, the British Council delivered a third initiative to support Pakistan’s National Accreditation Council to improve the accreditation process in TVET institutions, in line with international best practice.
A key output was a revised accreditation manual, piloted in four TVET institutions in Islamabad, who received training to use the new manual, with a focus on establishing a common understanding of the purpose of accreditation, and related roles and responsibilities.
The National Accreditation Council believes the new process will help to accelerate accreditation across the country, with the aim of accrediting 2,000 training providers in the coming year.
Making TVET more inclusive
The British Council is now working to increase the participation of people with disabilities in the workforce, by improving disability mainstreaming in TVET.
Building on previous work to enhance accreditation of TVET institutions, this initiative reviewed TVET sector policies and practices in Pakistan and developed guidelines to initiate an inclusive change process that enables more persons with disabilities to enrol and achieve at TVET colleges. In addition, the project aims to develop an assessment methodology to evaluate inclusivity in TVET institutions, which can be integrated in the revised accreditation process.
Supporting international accreditation and private sector engagement
Two VET Toolbox mentoring partnerships, supported by the British Council, have seen Dudley College of Technology and South East Regional College connect with colleges in Pakistan to work towards achieving international accreditation or enhance private sector engagement.
“As an employer, I have always been hiring apprentices and learning about new apprenticeships programmes. But it was very interesting to see the new wave, to understand the VET Toolbox and learn about new international practices which are being implemented by TVET sector … I have learned so much during the workshop and we hope to put it into practice when we go back.” Daniyal Siddique, CEO, DST Energy
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