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Pakistan Country Skills Profile

Pakistan Country Skills Profile

Type:
Document
Content Type:
Generic document
Language:

English

Slug
english
Identifier
skpEng
Sources:

ILO

The International Labour Organization is the tripartite U.N. agency that promotes Decent Work through employment, social security, labour standards and social dialogue. Its work on skills development is guided by the conceptual framework on Skills to improve productivity, employment growth, and development agreed in 2008 by representatives of Governments, Employers’ Associations and Workers’ Associations. Research, policy advice, and pilot projects and technical cooperation programmes to apply good practices in different circumstances across its 185 member States aims to boost the employability of workers, the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises, and the inclusiveness of economic growth. The ILO Secretariat in offices in 40 countries works with Ministries of Labour, employers’ organizations, and trade unions to integrate skills development into national and sector development strategies in order to better meet current labour market needs and to prepare for the jobs of the future; to expand access to employment-related training so that youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups are better able to acquire skills and secure productive and decent work; and to improve the ability of public employment services to provide career guidance, maintain labour exchange services, and deliver active labour market programmes.For more information regarding the ILO’s work on skills and employability go to: http://www.ilo.org/skills/lang--en/index.htm; for ILO/Cinterfor's Knowledge Management Plarform, see: http://www.oitcinterfor.org

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Identifier
skpILO
Slug
ilo
Topics:

Access to training

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Access for all to good quality education, vocational training and workplace learning is a fundamental principle of social cohesion and economic growth. Some groups of people may require targeted attention if they are to benefit from education, training and employment opportunities.  

This is particularly the case for disadvantaged youth, lower skilled workers, people with disabilities, and people in rural communities. The attractiveness of vocational education and training is enhanced when combined with entrepreneurship training and when public policies encourage utilization of higher skills by business. 
 

Identifier
skpATSU
Slug
access-to-training

Anticipating and matching skills needs

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Anticipating and building skills for the future is essential to a rapidly changing labour market. This applies to changes in the types and levels of skills needed as well as in occupational and technical areas. Effective methods to anticipate future skills needs and avoid potential mismatches include: sustained dialogue between employers and trainers, coordination across government institutions, labour market information systems, employment services and performance reviews of training institutions. 

Identifier
skpAFSN
Slug
anticipating-and-matching-skills-needs

Gender equality

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Women represent both half of the world's population – and half the world's economic potential. Their participation in the labour market reduces poverty because they often invest 90 per cent of their income in the well-being, education and nutrition of their families. Yet labour force participation by women has stagnated at about 55 per cent globally since 2010. Moreover, women are disproportionately represented in precarious work – low-paid, low-skilled and insecure jobs.

Training plays an important role in the pursuit of equality of opportunity and treatment for women and men in the world of work. Yet women often lack access to technical and vocational education and training. Many also lack the basic functional skills, such as literacy and numeracy, to participate meaningfully in the work force. Overcoming this challenge requires the adoption of a life-cycle approach. This includes improving girls’ access to basic education; overcoming logistic, economic and cultural barriers to apprenticeships and to secondary and vocational training for young women; and meeting the training needs of women re-entering the labour market and of older women who have not had equal access to opportunities for lifelong learning.

Identifier
skpGenEqul
Slug
gender-equality

Training quality and relevance

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Identifier
skpTrainQR
Slug
training-quality-and-relevance
Knowledge Products:

Other knowledge products

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Identifier
skpOProduct
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other-knowledge-products
Publication Date:
23 Jun 2021

Pakistan Country Skills Profile was prepared by ILO Islamabad Office in collaboration with SKILLS Specialists in DWT-Delhi and Geneva.  Profile covers main features of skills development in Pakistan and identifies a few key areas for improvement in the TVET System.  Profile was reviewed by tripartite stakeholders in an online tripartite consultation held on 16th February 2021 and was endorsed by all stakeholders. 

Pakistan Country Skills Profile (2021) provides an overview of TVET situation in Pakistan including demographic situation, coverage of TVET System, regional and gender inequalities, quality issues, and other important features.  Towards the end, the Profile identifies four key areas for improvement. 

Subject Tags:

Skills and training policy

Slug
skills-and-training-policy
Identifier
666

Skills anticipation

Slug
skills-anticipation
Identifier
677

Skills recognition

Slug
skills-recognition
Identifier
656

TVET systems

Slug
tvet-systems
Identifier
661
Regions:
Countries and territories:

Empowering Vulnerable Groups through Education, Employment and Training (EET) Final Evaluation

Empowering Vulnerable Groups through Education, Employment and Training (EET) Final Evaluation

Type:
Document
Content Type:
Project documentation
Language:

English

Slug
english
Identifier
skpEng
Sources:

ILO

The International Labour Organization is the tripartite U.N. agency that promotes Decent Work through employment, social security, labour standards and social dialogue. Its work on skills development is guided by the conceptual framework on Skills to improve productivity, employment growth, and development agreed in 2008 by representatives of Governments, Employers’ Associations and Workers’ Associations. Research, policy advice, and pilot projects and technical cooperation programmes to apply good practices in different circumstances across its 185 member States aims to boost the employability of workers, the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises, and the inclusiveness of economic growth. The ILO Secretariat in offices in 40 countries works with Ministries of Labour, employers’ organizations, and trade unions to integrate skills development into national and sector development strategies in order to better meet current labour market needs and to prepare for the jobs of the future; to expand access to employment-related training so that youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups are better able to acquire skills and secure productive and decent work; and to improve the ability of public employment services to provide career guidance, maintain labour exchange services, and deliver active labour market programmes.For more information regarding the ILO’s work on skills and employability go to: http://www.ilo.org/skills/lang--en/index.htm; for ILO/Cinterfor's Knowledge Management Plarform, see: http://www.oitcinterfor.org

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Identifier
skpILO
Slug
ilo
Topics:

Other topic

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Identifier
skpOIssue
Slug
other-topic
Knowledge Products:

Evaluation reports

Analytical assessments of technical cooperation programmes and national skills and employment policies, identifying success factors of different interventions in response to particular challenges in different circumstances.

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Identifier
skpEvalRep
Slug
evaluation-reports
Publication Date:
01 Jun 2021

Empowering Vulnerable Groups through Education, Employment and Training (EET) ? Final Evaluation

Subject Tags:

Skills indicators

Slug
skills-indicators
Identifier
653
Regions:
Countries and territories:

Women's Employment Concerns and Working Conditions (WEC-PK) - Final Evaluation

Women's Employment Concerns and Working Conditions (WEC-PK) - Final Evaluation

Type:
Document
Content Type:
Project documentation
Language:

English

Slug
english
Identifier
skpEng
Sources:

ILO

The International Labour Organization is the tripartite U.N. agency that promotes Decent Work through employment, social security, labour standards and social dialogue. Its work on skills development is guided by the conceptual framework on Skills to improve productivity, employment growth, and development agreed in 2008 by representatives of Governments, Employers’ Associations and Workers’ Associations. Research, policy advice, and pilot projects and technical cooperation programmes to apply good practices in different circumstances across its 185 member States aims to boost the employability of workers, the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises, and the inclusiveness of economic growth. The ILO Secretariat in offices in 40 countries works with Ministries of Labour, employers’ organizations, and trade unions to integrate skills development into national and sector development strategies in order to better meet current labour market needs and to prepare for the jobs of the future; to expand access to employment-related training so that youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups are better able to acquire skills and secure productive and decent work; and to improve the ability of public employment services to provide career guidance, maintain labour exchange services, and deliver active labour market programmes.For more information regarding the ILO’s work on skills and employability go to: http://www.ilo.org/skills/lang--en/index.htm; for ILO/Cinterfor's Knowledge Management Plarform, see: http://www.oitcinterfor.org

Thumbnail
Identifier
skpILO
Slug
ilo
Topics:

Other topic

Thumbnail
Identifier
skpOIssue
Slug
other-topic
Knowledge Products:

Evaluation reports

Analytical assessments of technical cooperation programmes and national skills and employment policies, identifying success factors of different interventions in response to particular challenges in different circumstances.

Thumbnail
Identifier
skpEvalRep
Slug
evaluation-reports
Publication Date:
31 May 2021

Women\'s Employment Concerns and Working Conditions (WEC-PK) - Final Evaluation

Subject Tags:

Skills indicators

Slug
skills-indicators
Identifier
653
Regions:
Countries and territories:

Training for Rural Economic Empowerment (TREE) Project: Pakistan and the Philippines - Final Evaluation

Training for Rural Economic Empowerment (TREE) Project: Pakistan and the Philippines - Final Evaluation

Type:
Document
Content Type:
Project documentation
Language:

English

Slug
english
Identifier
skpEng
Sources:

ILO

The International Labour Organization is the tripartite U.N. agency that promotes Decent Work through employment, social security, labour standards and social dialogue. Its work on skills development is guided by the conceptual framework on Skills to improve productivity, employment growth, and development agreed in 2008 by representatives of Governments, Employers’ Associations and Workers’ Associations. Research, policy advice, and pilot projects and technical cooperation programmes to apply good practices in different circumstances across its 185 member States aims to boost the employability of workers, the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises, and the inclusiveness of economic growth. The ILO Secretariat in offices in 40 countries works with Ministries of Labour, employers’ organizations, and trade unions to integrate skills development into national and sector development strategies in order to better meet current labour market needs and to prepare for the jobs of the future; to expand access to employment-related training so that youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups are better able to acquire skills and secure productive and decent work; and to improve the ability of public employment services to provide career guidance, maintain labour exchange services, and deliver active labour market programmes.For more information regarding the ILO’s work on skills and employability go to: http://www.ilo.org/skills/lang--en/index.htm; for ILO/Cinterfor's Knowledge Management Plarform, see: http://www.oitcinterfor.org

Thumbnail
Identifier
skpILO
Slug
ilo
Topics:

Other topic

Thumbnail
Identifier
skpOIssue
Slug
other-topic
Knowledge Products:

Evaluation reports

Analytical assessments of technical cooperation programmes and national skills and employment policies, identifying success factors of different interventions in response to particular challenges in different circumstances.

Thumbnail
Identifier
skpEvalRep
Slug
evaluation-reports
Publication Date:
31 May 2021

Expanding economic opportunity and income security through workforce education, skills training, employment creation (TREE): Pakistan and the Philippines - Final Evaluation

Subject Tags:

Skills indicators

Slug
skills-indicators
Identifier
653
Regions:
Countries and territories:

Training for Rural Economic Empowerment (TREE) Project: Pakistan and the Philippines - Final Evaluation

Training for Rural Economic Empowerment (TREE) Project: Pakistan and the Philippines - Final Evaluation

Type:
Document
Content Type:
Project documentation
Language:

English

Slug
english
Identifier
skpEng
Sources:

ILO

The International Labour Organization is the tripartite U.N. agency that promotes Decent Work through employment, social security, labour standards and social dialogue. Its work on skills development is guided by the conceptual framework on Skills to improve productivity, employment growth, and development agreed in 2008 by representatives of Governments, Employers’ Associations and Workers’ Associations. Research, policy advice, and pilot projects and technical cooperation programmes to apply good practices in different circumstances across its 185 member States aims to boost the employability of workers, the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises, and the inclusiveness of economic growth. The ILO Secretariat in offices in 40 countries works with Ministries of Labour, employers’ organizations, and trade unions to integrate skills development into national and sector development strategies in order to better meet current labour market needs and to prepare for the jobs of the future; to expand access to employment-related training so that youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups are better able to acquire skills and secure productive and decent work; and to improve the ability of public employment services to provide career guidance, maintain labour exchange services, and deliver active labour market programmes.For more information regarding the ILO’s work on skills and employability go to: http://www.ilo.org/skills/lang--en/index.htm; for ILO/Cinterfor's Knowledge Management Plarform, see: http://www.oitcinterfor.org

Thumbnail
Identifier
skpILO
Slug
ilo
Topics:

Other topic

Thumbnail
Identifier
skpOIssue
Slug
other-topic
Knowledge Products:

Evaluation reports

Analytical assessments of technical cooperation programmes and national skills and employment policies, identifying success factors of different interventions in response to particular challenges in different circumstances.

Thumbnail
Identifier
skpEvalRep
Slug
evaluation-reports
Publication Date:
31 May 2021

Expanding economic opportunity and income security through workforce education, skills training, employment creation (TREE): Pakistan and the Philippines - Final Evaluation

Subject Tags:

Skills indicators

Slug
skills-indicators
Identifier
653
Regions:
Countries and territories:

Pakistan Employment Trends 2011

Pakistan Employment Trends 2011

Type:
Document
Content Type:
Pakistan Employment Trends 2011
Language:

English

Slug
english
Identifier
skpEng
Sources:

Governments

Governments hold a wealth of knowledge on skills development, and are increasingly realizing the value of learning from each others’ experiences. Their policy documents, programme evaluations, and research findings contain their experience and ideas on how to better link skills to employment

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Identifier
skpGov
Slug
governments
Topics:

Career guidance and employment services

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Career guidance and counselling, career education and lifelong development of skills for employability are key for success in learning activities, effective career transitions, livelihood planning, entrepreneurship and in increasing labour market participation. They are instrumental in promoting skills utilization, recognition (RPL), as well as in improving enterprise human resource management.

Career development activities encompass a wide variety of support activities including career information and advice, counselling, work exposure (e.g. job shadowing, work experience periods), assessment, coaching, mentoring, professional networking, advocacy, basic and employability skills training (curricular and non-curricular) and entrepreneurship training. It is often an area which is fragmented across different ministries (e.g. education, TVET, employment, youth) requiring an effort to achieve the necessary coordination to provide adequate support to individuals during learning, employment and unemployment/inactivity periods.
 

Identifier
skpLMIES
Slug
career-guidance-and-employment-services
Knowledge Products:

Research papers

Working papers, reports, and other publications from international organizations, academic institutions and bilateral agencies. Research findings to stimulate informed debate on skills, employment and productivity issues. 

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Identifier
skpRPS
Slug
research-papers
Publication Date:
22 Nov 2016
Full, productive and decent employment for all is a priority area for the government of Pakistan. The availability of relevant and up- to- date information is a pre-requisite to promote opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive employment in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity.

Pakistan Employment Trends 2011 is a comprehensive report regarding progress towards achieving Millennium Development Goals target 1b “full and productive employment and decent work for all”. In this report, both quantitative and qualitative aspects of existing employment in the country have been analyzed as well as its comparability in the region. This report provides information for making necessary national policies for the creation of quality employment to perform decent work in Pakistan.

Efforts have been made to make this report a comprehensive, informative and useful document for decision-makers, researchers, planners, economists and other beneficiaries at large. Suggestions are, however, welcome for its further improvement.
Subject Tags:
Regions:
Countries and territories:

From Pakistan to the Gulf region: An analysis of links between labour markets, skills and the migration cycle

From Pakistan to the Gulf region: An analysis of links between labour markets, skills and the migration cycle

Type:
Document
Content Type:
From Pakistan to the Gulf region: An analysis of links between labour markets, skills and the migration cycle
Language:

English

Slug
english
Identifier
skpEng
Sources:

Bilateral organizations

The development agencies of many countries make skills development a pillar of their Official Development Assistance – from the perspective of education systems, employment promotion, poverty reduction, and private sector development. Documentation of their experience, evaluations and impact assessments, mission statements, and other knowledge products are made available through the Global KSP.

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Identifier
skpBiOrg
Slug
bilateral-organizations

ILO

The International Labour Organization is the tripartite U.N. agency that promotes Decent Work through employment, social security, labour standards and social dialogue. Its work on skills development is guided by the conceptual framework on Skills to improve productivity, employment growth, and development agreed in 2008 by representatives of Governments, Employers’ Associations and Workers’ Associations. Research, policy advice, and pilot projects and technical cooperation programmes to apply good practices in different circumstances across its 185 member States aims to boost the employability of workers, the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises, and the inclusiveness of economic growth. The ILO Secretariat in offices in 40 countries works with Ministries of Labour, employers’ organizations, and trade unions to integrate skills development into national and sector development strategies in order to better meet current labour market needs and to prepare for the jobs of the future; to expand access to employment-related training so that youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups are better able to acquire skills and secure productive and decent work; and to improve the ability of public employment services to provide career guidance, maintain labour exchange services, and deliver active labour market programmes.For more information regarding the ILO’s work on skills and employability go to: http://www.ilo.org/skills/lang--en/index.htm; for ILO/Cinterfor's Knowledge Management Plarform, see: http://www.oitcinterfor.org

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Identifier
skpILO
Slug
ilo
Topics:

Migrant workers

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According to the ILO global estimates on migrant workers, there were around 164 million migrant workers in 2017. 

Migrant workers contribute to growth and development in their countries of destination, while countries of origin greatly benefit from their remittances and the skills acquired during their migration experience. Yet, many migrant workers face challenges in accessing quality training and decent jobs including under-utilization of skills, a lack of employment or training opportunities, lack of information, and exploitation of low-skilled workers.

To address these challenges, countries need to strengthen skills anticipation systems to inform migration policies, increase access to education and training, and establish bilateral or multilateral recognition of qualifications and skills.

Identifier
skpMigWor
Slug
migrant-workers
Knowledge Products:

Research papers

Working papers, reports, and other publications from international organizations, academic institutions and bilateral agencies. Research findings to stimulate informed debate on skills, employment and productivity issues. 

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Identifier
skpRPS
Slug
research-papers
Publication Date:
20 Oct 2016
Despite the substantial benefits generated by the migration flow between Pakistan and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, many challenges remain to ensure a fairer distribution of the triple-win profits. Much has been written on the abuses of migrant workers during recruitment and employment throughout the migration cycle, but less is known about labour demand, its relationship to skills and the impact of the recruitment process on these aspects.

Lack of information regarding qualifications, skills, wages and how demand will evolve inhibits informed decision-making by public and private institutions as well as by migrant workers. This results in lost opportunities or mistakes in strategy planning in and between source and recipient countries. For instance, there is no system of mutual recognition of educational attainment and acquired skills based on comparable standards for low-skilled or semi-skilled occupations. This report addresses some of these issues, with a special focus on the role of skills in Pakistan, including skills training, certification, skills matching and recruitment practices.
Subject Tags:

Migrant workers

Slug
migrant-workers
Identifier
681

Migration policy

Slug
migration-policy
Identifier
309

Skills mismatch

Slug
skills-mismatch
Identifier
654

Skills recognition

Slug
skills-recognition
Identifier
656
Regions:
Countries and territories:

Skills for growth & development: A technical and vocational education and training (TVET) policy for Pakistan

Skills for growth & development: A technical and vocational education and training (TVET) policy for Pakistan

Type:
Document
Content Type:
Skills for growth & development: A technical and vocational education and training (TVET) policy for Pakistan
Language:

English

Slug
english
Identifier
skpEng
Sources:

Governments

Governments hold a wealth of knowledge on skills development, and are increasingly realizing the value of learning from each others’ experiences. Their policy documents, programme evaluations, and research findings contain their experience and ideas on how to better link skills to employment

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Identifier
skpGov
Slug
governments
Topics:

Skills policies and strategies

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Skills and employment policies should be viewed together.  The full value of one policy set is realized when it supports the objectives of the other.  For investments in education and training to yield maximum benefit to workers, enterprises, and economies, countries’ capacities for coordination is critical in three areas: connecting basic education to technical training and then to market entry; ensuring continuous communication between employers and training providers so that training meets the needs and aspirations of workers and enterprises, and integrating skills development policies with industrial, investment, trade, technology, environmental, rural and local development policies.

Identifier
skpPolConv
Slug
skills-policies-and-strategies

Training quality and relevance

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Identifier
skpTrainQR
Slug
training-quality-and-relevance
Knowledge Products:

National policies and initiatives

National legislation, policies and initiatives on the issue of training and skills development and the world of work. 

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Identifier
skpNatPol
Slug
national-policies-and-initiatives
Publication Date:
24 Feb 2016
This document consists of a policy statement, implementation plan and supporting annexes, which consider and discuss aspects of the TVET Policy in Pakistan which aims to:

- Secure a national commitment to the importance of skills development to achieve sustained economic growth, to increase productivity and to provide opportunities for people to contribute to the economy and to their communities, particularly the country’s growing youthful population;
- Increase the number and quality of training opportunities so that in the short-term at least one million will be trained each year. By 2025, the objective is to train 20 percent of all school-leavers, in addition to up-skilling and re-skilling existing workers. Such expansion will not be achieved by the public sector alone and the active engagement of the private sector will be required;
- Introduce a national standards-based qualification, assessment and certification system;
- Design and deliver competence-based education and training programmes that concentrate on the skills required to perform jobs;
- Forge new partnerships between the public and private sectors and to encourage employers to train more directly and to contribute to the reform of public TVET provision;
- Maintain and expand the export of labour by encouraging people to obtain internationally recognised qualifications;
- Encourage linkages with the informal sector of the economy by providing people with opportunities to gain formal qualifications;
- Continue the reform and revitalisation of the public TVET sector.
Subject Tags:

Policy convergence

Slug
policy-convergence
Identifier
674

Skills and training policy

Slug
skills-and-training-policy
Identifier
666

TVET systems

Slug
tvet-systems
Identifier
661

Vocational training

Slug
vocational-training
Identifier
124
Regions:
Countries and territories:

Skills development in South Asia: Trends in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

Skills development in South Asia: Trends in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

Type:
Document
Content Type:
Skills development in South Asia: Trends in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
Language:

English

Slug
english
Identifier
skpEng
Sources:

Governments

Governments hold a wealth of knowledge on skills development, and are increasingly realizing the value of learning from each others’ experiences. Their policy documents, programme evaluations, and research findings contain their experience and ideas on how to better link skills to employment

Thumbnail
Identifier
skpGov
Slug
governments

Other sources

Experts from many international, regional and national agencies generously share their views, experiences and findings on skills, helping policy-makers among other stakeholders to understand the linkages between education, training and the world of work, and how to integrate skills into national development planning to promote employment and economic growth.

Thumbnail
Identifier
skpOSource
Slug
other-sources
Topics:

Anticipating and matching skills needs

Thumbnail

Anticipating and building skills for the future is essential to a rapidly changing labour market. This applies to changes in the types and levels of skills needed as well as in occupational and technical areas. Effective methods to anticipate future skills needs and avoid potential mismatches include: sustained dialogue between employers and trainers, coordination across government institutions, labour market information systems, employment services and performance reviews of training institutions. 

Identifier
skpAFSN
Slug
anticipating-and-matching-skills-needs
Knowledge Products:

Research papers

Working papers, reports, and other publications from international organizations, academic institutions and bilateral agencies. Research findings to stimulate informed debate on skills, employment and productivity issues. 

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Identifier
skpRPS
Slug
research-papers
Publication Date:
22 Jun 2015
A custom research report for British Council by The Economist Intelligence Unit One of the biggest challenges for South Asian countries in coming years is to unlock the latent potential of the millions of young people entering the workforce. The region is poised to benefit from a “demographic dividend”, which could lead to great gains in poverty reduction, employment generation and economic growth. Yet the other possible result is widespread youth unemployment.

In this context, the importance of skills development as a driver of socio-economic development is paramount. Governments have recognised the importance of education and training in this process. There have been notable successes in improved participation rates for primary and secondary education across the region. But youth unemployment and underemployment remain pervasive, despite a growing cohort of educated young workers joining the workforce. As a result, policymakers are now placing greater emphasis on understanding skill gaps in labour markets and developing skills systems geared to address these.

This publication maintains that the potential economic rewards of greater public-sector focus on skills could be immense, though the complexity of the challenge and other competing priorities suggest that such efforts must be targeted, guided by data and evidence, and done in collaboration with the private sector.
Subject Tags:

Skills and training policy

Slug
skills-and-training-policy
Identifier
666

Skills anticipation

Slug
skills-anticipation
Identifier
677
Regions:
Countries and territories:

Bangladesh

Bangladesh has a strong track record of growth and development, even in times of elevated global uncertainty.  A robust demographic dividend, strong ready-made garment exports, resilient remittance inflows, and stable macroeconomic conditions have supported rapid economic growth over the past two decades. A strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic continued in FY22, although a recent surge in commodity prices has presented new headwinds. 

Bangladesh reached lower-middle income status in 2015. It is on track to graduate from the UN’s Least Developed Countries list in 2026. Poverty declined from 43.5 percent in 1991 to 14.3 percent in 2016, based on the international poverty line of $1.90 a day (1).  

Like many of its Asian neighbours, Bangladesh faces a major challenge trying to develop modern, employability skills for tens of millions of young women and men. It has a large informal sector, which accounts for 94.7 percent of the total employment in 2017 (2). Youth continue to be highly affected by the lack of opportunities, with the share of youth aged 15-24 not in employment, education or training (NEET), estimated at 27.8 percent in 2020 (3). 

TVET has a huge role to play in equipping the vast young labour force of 15-29 years referred to as the country’s “demographic dividend” with employability skills and providing enhanced support services to ensure a better transition from school to work. TVET may also contribute to reducing poverty by providing employability skills, particularly to those who drop out of school early and to a large number of unemployed and underemployed adults.  

Despite many reform initiatives by the government, the TVET sector needs further strengthening through reform of policies and systems in the labour market.  Enhancing industry-relevance of TVET qualifications will furthermore require closer Government cooperation with the private sector. For one and a half decade, the ILO has worked closely with the Government of Bangladesh and its Social Partners to reform the TVET sector and to improve access for people to increase their skills and employability, in particular youth, women and people from other marginalized groups. 

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic had detrimental effects on the TVET sector, due to the nation-wide closure of all educational institutes for one and a half years, starting on 17 March 2020.  Most students’ learning was effectively abolished for this duration, and learning and certification was only possible through limited online learning facilities in existence at the time. Only recently has the TVET returned to its prior activity level. 

The ILO landmark programmes aim to strengthen and improve the environment for industry skills development, address the mismatch between the supply and demand for skills training, and drive the increased employability of millions of young women and men. ILO’s support to develop the skills system in Bangladesh has focused on skills system governance, development of skills policies and qualifications frameworks; delivery of quality skills training, expanding access to TVET, and involvement by the private sector.    

 

Sources 

(1) https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh/overview

(2) https://ilostat.ilo.org/topics/informality/

(3) https://ilostat.ilo.org/topics/youth/

Country Assessment and Priority (CAP) – Bangladesh strategy for skills and lifelong learning (2022)

Situation Analysis of Bangladesh TVET Sector (2019) https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—asia/—ro-bangkok/—ilo-dhaka/documents/publication/wcms_735704.pdf_

Enhancing socio-economic development through investing in human capital in Punjab and Sindh

Enhancing socio-economic development through investing in human capital in Punjab and Sindh

Type:
Document
Content Type:
Enhancing socio-economic development through investing in human capital in Punjab and Sindh
Language:

English

Slug
english
Identifier
skpEng
Sources:

Other sources

Experts from many international, regional and national agencies generously share their views, experiences and findings on skills, helping policy-makers among other stakeholders to understand the linkages between education, training and the world of work, and how to integrate skills into national development planning to promote employment and economic growth.

Thumbnail
Identifier
skpOSource
Slug
other-sources
Topics:

Anticipating and matching skills needs

Thumbnail

Anticipating and building skills for the future is essential to a rapidly changing labour market. This applies to changes in the types and levels of skills needed as well as in occupational and technical areas. Effective methods to anticipate future skills needs and avoid potential mismatches include: sustained dialogue between employers and trainers, coordination across government institutions, labour market information systems, employment services and performance reviews of training institutions. 

Identifier
skpAFSN
Slug
anticipating-and-matching-skills-needs

Training quality and relevance

Thumbnail
Identifier
skpTrainQR
Slug
training-quality-and-relevance
Knowledge Products:

Case studies and good practices

Case studies that document good practices and illustrate the benefits and lessons learnt of particular approaches or methods in real practice. 

Thumbnail
Identifier
skpCaseStdy
Slug
case-studies-and-good-practices

Research papers

Working papers, reports, and other publications from international organizations, academic institutions and bilateral agencies. Research findings to stimulate informed debate on skills, employment and productivity issues. 

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skpRPS
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research-papers
Publication Date:
22 Jun 2015
Supported by European Commission (EC), the project, 'Enhancing socio-economic development through investing in human capital in Punjab and Sindh' seeks to improve the TVET sector by working on relevance, quality, access and equity of TVET services predominantly for the deprived communities, and exclusively focuses on rural women and youth in Sindh and Southern Punjab. The target districts for the project include Multan, Muzaffargarh, Vehari, Rajanpur in Punjab and district Tando Allahyar, Thatta and Mirpur Khas in Sindh.

This report documents a baseline study carried out as part of the preparatory stage by the project to assess the present situation in the target locations and set bench marks against the performance indicators identified in the project design. The study aimed to identify marketable skills, technical and vocational training needs of rural women and youth, barriers, challenges and opportunities regarding youth and women's employability and self-employment in the seven target districts. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative data gathering tools including a questionnaire survey, FGDs and In-depth interviews with key stakeholders complimented by a literature review.
Subject Tags:

Skills anticipation

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skills-anticipation
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677

Social policy

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social-policy
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300

TVET systems

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tvet-systems
Identifier
661

Vocational training

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vocational-training
Identifier
124

Women

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women
Identifier
318
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