Toiling without upward mobility

LAHORE: We are short of skilled workforce, but fail to formally recognise expertise and competence of workers, who acquired knowledge after years of training and experience.

This is taxing our productivity. Youth in Pakistan stick to white collar office jobs only because the semi-skilled workers are not well respected or well paid.

A person joining an office even as a clerk is likely to move up the ladder after some years of experience. But an unskilled worker, who masters a particular skill after years of experience is unlikely to get promoted to a supervisory position.

In a majority of cases, the job would go to a qualified engineer even if they have no experience. This is despite the fact that the worker, who acquired the skill on job, may be more competent and efficient.

Developed economies have a different set up. They recognise the importance of formal degrees, but have also devised a point system for workers with expertise gained on-the-job. In developed economies, a semi-skilled worker after completing a designated number of hours at a particular skill is awarded points that enable him to move up the ladder.

His qualification is recognised and he is allowed to appear in an exam for an equivalent diploma or degree in accordance with his/her qualification that was assessed on the basis of points he earned on various skills during the job.

This gives incentive to the lower-level workers to regularly improve their skills and qualifications. It is also one reason worker productivity is high in developed economies.

Germans have gone a step further. They have developed a system under which the aptitude of each student is evaluated at the primary level.

Those excelling in studies are allowed to pursue higher studies. The rest are required to acquire skills based on their aptitude.

They are well versed in their skills by the time they pass high school. The German industries welcome these skilled workers.

These workers could move up the ladder through the same point system and obtain a formal degree if they so desire.

Their career path is determined by their competence. The system developed by the Germans has made Germany an industrial powerhouse because of the competence and efficiency of its workers.

National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) about eight years back drafted the National Vocational Qualification Framework (NVQF) with level descriptors and rules for managing qualifications. Under the NVQF, workers were to be placed in six levels based on their skills attainment.

The semi-skilled workers were placed in level 1, skilled in level 2, highly skilled in level 3, professionals in level 4, specialists in level 5 and experts in level 6. The system has not really taken off as the employers are not interested in disturbing the system.

They enjoy the services of highly skilled but unqualified workers at a lower salary. Moreover, the education level of most of the unskilled workers is so low that it is not possible to move them up the ladder as usually the higher designation requires some literacy level.

Majority of the current workforce may not be able to move up, but a system can be evolved at the school level just like the one in vogue in Germany. The concept of uniform syllabus if implemented in its true spirit would bring the level of education in public schools at par with the private schools. Both public and private schools should then evaluate the aptitude of their students and only a certain percentage should be allowed to pursue higher education.

The rest should get vocational training along with formal education at the secondary level. The uniform curriculum would ensure that private schools also establish skill training classes. We will get a duly skilled workforce after five years. This workforce would be able to move up the ladder and the scarcity of skills would be addressed.

Germany is the most industrialised country in the European Union because of their stress on skill training. We should take a step in a similar direction if we want to industrialise our country.

This way, the workers would be motivated to regularly upgrade their skills to move up in their career. Currently, those with a formal degree or certificate move ahead quickly, while the person with the same or sometimes superior ability remains side-lined; because he is not ‘officially’ qualified for the job. This often discourages the person who acquired knowledge and competence after years of hard work.