Raja Hameed, in his mid-20s, faces a dilemma. He moved to Lahore from his native village in Chakwal district to attain a professional degree in medicine or engineering. Things did not go as planned. He could not score marks high enough to get admission into a medical or engineering college. So, he decided to join a commerce college. Soon he realised this was not a right choice. So he opted instead for a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree on the advice of a friend to later appear in competitive exams.

Today, Hameed is struggling hard to earn money for the basic needs of life and pay rent of the room where he lives. He works as a receptionist at a customs clearing agent’s office and teaches primary class students at a tuition centre. Both the jobs are low-paying and insecure. He is doing masters in Political Science as a private candidate.

Hameed who has experimented throughout his student life never got offended except on one occasion when his maternal uncle asked him to get enrolled in a welding and fabrication course at a government-run institute. "My parents would rather prefer to die than see me doing this menial work" was his spontaneous response.

Hameed’s is just one example. There are millions of youth in Pakistan who do not mind working as receptionists, office assistants, or record keepers but the very idea of doing a blue-collar job is not welcome. They are not ready to learn a skill, despite knowing that their employability will increase manifold and they could set up their own business as well.

The government, on the other hand, is facing a major challenge in the form of limited job opportunities for the ever-growing population. It cannot give government job to every other person. It has to look towards the private sector or promote entrepreneurship by producing skilled workforce. Unfortunately, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is low on people’s priority list due to the stigma attached.

What can be done to improve the situation?

"There is a need to create awareness about the potential of TVET among students and their parents and the dignity of work among the general public," says Khawaja Nauman, President Employers’ Federation of Pakistan. The Federation has been certified by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and has around 550 industries and several chambers of commerce as its members.

Still, says Nauman, a large number of students opt for technical education -- "The day people come to know about the utility of getting technical education they would find it hard to get admission in a training institute".

He believes the country’s industrial sector cannot grow without the availability of a qualified skilled force.

Nauman also points to flaws in the testing system and the curriculum taught at TVET institutes. He suggests curriculum should be relevant to the market needs. Besides, he says, "the industrialists should comply with the apprenticeship law, which binds them to have a certain percentage of apprentices among their workforce."

Critics of the TVET in the country hold it responsible for its unpopularity among prospective students. An education department official, who does not want his name to be disclosed, tells TNS that there has been no clarity of vision among the policymakers. There is a lot of duplication.

Since the 1960s, when German professionals were invited by Pakistan to help develop the sector, several technical training centres were training people. For decades, the curricula were developed by the government and industry’s input was missing in the exercise.

It was in 2005 that a National Vocational & Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) was set up as apex body to supervise TVET sector through Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority(s) (TEVTAs) in different provinces. The idea was to merge different TVET organisations into provincial TEVTAs, which would work under a national framework. The TEVTAs are coming up one by one in all the provinces.

Syed Nazar Ali, head of Blue Collars, a non-profit organisation working for the promotion of technical education, says students of technical education worry they would not get into mainstream workforce. Fortunately, he says, "the government has come up with a National Vocational Qualifications Framework (NVQF). Under this system a qualification in technical education will be evaluated at different levels and equivalence certifications issued to the students."

"Unlike in the past, students of TVET centres will be able to do PhDs due to this equivalence and certification, which was not available earlier," he adds.

Ali says they are working on a plan to promote blue collar jobs. "This can be done by giving awards to people who have excelled in their lives due to technical education. They can be electricians, motor mechanics, plumbers, carpenters, and so on. "

He says that they will engage the media, playwrights, and, film-makers, etc, to record their success stories. "Major businesses are also concerned about the issue and will support this cause," he adds.

Another factor that has discouraged getting technical education is the ustad-shagird model that has existed for long. The potential risks of abuse, exploitation, and injuries due to lack of safety measures have also resulted in portraying a bad image of the sector.

"Germany has about half of its student population opting for skilled work," says Shaiyanne Malik who works with organisations like ILO and has completed several entrepreneurship development projects.

"With the number of housing units, automobiles, etc, growing at an immense pace the need for skilled workers is increasing by the day," she adds.