Revised syllabi to ensure better jobs: minister

LAHORE
Provincial Minister for Labour & Human Resource Raja Ashfaq Sarwar has said that the Punjab government is improvising action plan to upgrade the syllabus and curriculum of Technical Education and Vocational Training (TEVT) of Punjab for ensuring respectable jobs for the skilled workers of these institutions.
He said that while presiding over first meeting of the committee constituted by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for this purpose, according to a handout issued here on Wednesday.
Provincial Minister for Zakat & Ushr Malik Nadeem Kamran, Chairman P&D Irfan Elahi, Secretaries Higher Education, Schools and Labour & Human Resource, Chairman Tevta Irfan Qaiser Sheikh and representatives of World Bank, PITB, Industries and related departments attended the meeting.
The minister said the Punjab government had decided to get the services of an international consultant firm for revamping of TEVT by competitive bidding so as to upgrade curriculum and syllabus of skill training institutes of Punjab to impart demand based training ensuring labour force responsive to local and international market.
He said that centres of excellence would be established and laws would be amended to enhance apprenticeship along with activating Labour Market Information System where complete data about students and industrial sector would be available for job opportunities.
Chairman P&D Irfan Elahi said that an independent examination body, technical assistance through hired consultancy firm and placement of trainees with coordination of private sector were included in the TORs of the committee. The participants of the meeting gave proposals and suggestions for restructuring and upgradation of Technical Education and Vocational Training by identifying deficiencies and backdrops of present structure.
The minister constituted a subcommittee under P&D focal person Farasat which will consider all the issues of the TEVT and submit its report after consultation with all the stakeholders concerned regarding betterment of public sector skill training institutes.
Meanwhile, Chairperson TEVTA Irfan Qaiser Shaikh said that Tevta revised three years DAE Auto Mobile & Diesel Technology and Auto & Farm Machinery Technology courses.
These courses have been revised/updated after special gap analysis study.
The purpose to revise these old courses is to train the youth as per international standards and meeting requirements of the industry so that they may easily get jobs after completion of their study period.
He was addressing a meeting here at Tevta Secretariat which was attended by Tevta Officers Azhar Iqbal Shad, Hamid Ghani Anjum, Akhtar Abbas Bharwana, Abdul Qayyum, Sarfraz Anwar and others, according to a press release issued here on Wednesday.
Irfan Qaiser Shaikh said that new subjects Problem in I.C. Engines, Suspension, Steering & Brakes and Applied Thermodynamics subjects in 2nd year while Fuel Injection & Carburetion, Automotive Transmission, CAD & Automation subject in 3rd year had been included in three years DAE Auto Mobile & Diesel Technology course. Similarly, new subject Crop Husbandry in 2nd year while Soils Fertilizers and Earth Moving Machinery have been incorporated in three years Auto & Farm Machinery Technology course.
The revision of both courses have been notified which would be implemented from coming academic session.
He said that apart from introducing new demand driven short courses, Tevta was also focusing to revise its old curricula.
This exercise was done in consultation with stakeholders and academia experts especially taking into account the relevant industry through comprehensive survey by using special Tool/Questionnaire, developed for the purpose, he concluded.