NATIONAL RURAL SUPPORT PROGRAM &

INSTITUTE OF RURAL MANAGEMENT

VOCATIONAL & TECHNICAL TRAINING INSTITUTE

RAWALPINDI

A CASE STUDY

By

Saquib Mohyuddin
Consultant

March 2010
 Contents

I. Executive Summary
II. Objectives & Methodology

Section 1: Introduction
1.1 Country Profile
1.2 Macro Economic Setting for VTEC Institutes
1.3 Brief Overview on the Education Sector of Pakistan
1.4 International Development of VTECH Institutes
1.5 Economic Benefits of VTEC Institutes

Section 2: Documenting Local Context

2.1 NRSP/IRM Introduction
2.2 Structure and Organizational Chart
2.3 VTEC Structure & Network
2.4 Analysis from Questionnaires (by Students/Teachers/Administration)
2.5 Problems faced by the NRSP VTEC Programs

Section 3: Improvements/Innovations to existing structure

3.1 Why do we need Innovation?
3.2 VTEC Strategy
3.3 Monitoring & Evaluation System
3.4 Establishing a Demand Supply Link (Collaboration and Partnership)
3.5 Dividing Secondary Level VTEC and Higher Level VTEC
3.6 Professional Instructor Training
3.6 Introduction of Incentives
3.7 National/International Accreditation and Recognition
3.8 International Cooperation

Section 4: Explaining the Process

4.1 ADB Case Study (Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal & PNG)
4.2 Singaporean Case Study
4.3 Malaysian Case Study
4.4 Japanese Case Study

Section 5: Policy Making & Lessons Learned

5.1 VTEC Structure
5.2 Benefit, Monitoring and Evaluation
5.3 Establishment of Balance Scorecard System

Section 6: Conclusion

Section 7: References

Section 8: Annexure
 I Executive Summary

In almost all countries, technical and vocational education is seen as a means of human resource
development, leading to social and economic progress. Technical and vocational education has
become a vital part of the education system and its role in the democratization of education has
been increasingly recognized. Innumerable reports underline the role of technical and vocational
education in keeping pace with new technological developments and in providing the much
needed skilled manpower.

Sadly in Pakistan this trend is not being marketed in a similar manner and it is understood that
budgetary constraints has limited the full development of technical and vocational education.
Besides the scarcity of public resources, governments also face confusion on the efficacy of Vocational
and Technical (VTEC) programs, which deter them from making required investments in VTEC
Institutes.

This research paper addresses these concerns through analysis of the local context following
which improvements are suggested to the existing framework in order to ensure innovation in the
system. A structured strategy that entails market demand with supply along with the impact
assessment of the institutes is beneficial for successful performance.

These suggestions are put into perspective by studying them against examples of world wide
institutes. Those institutes that have previously adopted similar policies and approaches are then
understood with regards to the Pakistani context with reference to advantages and disadvantages
that can affect the policies.

II Objectives and Methodology

In order to give a comprehensive analysis this case study carries out an assessment of NRSP’s
Islamabad VTEC Institute. The VTEC has been studied in detail through documented:

̵ Site Visits
̵ Questionnaires
̵ Interviews

The consultant’s opinion has been formed according to the above mentioned documented
analyses which have then been compared to the available documented policies and procedures
to understand what and where GAPS exist.

These GAPS have been addressed and new innovations and problem solving mechanisms have
been proposed taking into consideration detailed implementation and program designs with
examples of procedures followed in leading VTECs through brief cases studies.

Specific consideration is given to discovery of new knowledge through innovation which is the key
factor in transforming a country into a progressive economy. Through innovation vocational
education institutions have a potentially crucial role in mediating between the creators of new
knowledge, i.e. researchers and their institutions, and the users of knowledge.

Section 1: Introduction
1.1 Country Profile

The economy of Pakistan is the 27th largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing power,
and the 48th largest in absolute dollar terms (CIA World Fact book, 09). Pakistan has a semi-
industrialized economy, which mainly encompasses textiles, chemicals, food processing,
agriculture and other industries. Pakistan’s economy has been suffering from decades of internal
political disputes, a fast growing population, mixed levels of foreign investment, and a constant
costly ongoing confrontation with neighboring India and more over the last two years have been
witness to a decline in the industrial and trade development fortunes in Pakistan due to the power
crisis, war on terror and the security situation. This has had wide ranging implications for
economic growth and poverty eradication. Inflation has increased to 13% in February 2010 after
coming down to 8.9% in October 2009 (when the government had phased out subsidies on
electricity and adjusted prices of petroleum products). The cost of fighting the war on terror has
been enormous and weighs heavily on Pakistan’s already poorly faring economy. According to
the Government the war on terror has cost Pakistan more than $35 billion since September 11,
2001.

Pakistan’s burgeoning population is also a factor for great concern. The latest statistical figures of
total population of Pakistan released by the Population Census Organization stand at 169.07
million (2010). Given the existing trend it is estimated that by year 2020 Pakistan’s population
would reach 194 million (NIPS). With the current rate of population growth the population of
Pakistan is likely to double in the next 39 years. This growing population is a challenge for the
government since basic social needs like water, sanitation, medical and educational facilities
need to be provided.

These factors are fast generating pressures to create employment and if this situation is not
addressed soon it can become a major issue for the economy since Pakistan’s total labor force
amounts to only 55.8 million of which 15.2% are unemployed (Labor Force, 09).

There are certain inherent problems associated with unemployment in Pakistan such as low
literacy rate and poor level of skills. Our 46 per cent of the labor force has one year of education
or less (Economic Survey, 09). The acceleration of economic growth, changes in work process
and technology over the years requires higher skilled workers. Without a workforce that is
continuously acquiring new and improved skills, it will be difficult for Pakistan to be competitive in
the globalizing world.

The economic challenge facing Pakistan is nevertheless serious and has several dimensions.
Pakistan’s Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) is ranked 101 in 2009-10 with a score of 3.6, as
compared to 101 in 2008-09 but with a score of 3.7. Out of the 12 pillars of the GCI, Pakistan
scored in the lower half of the 133 countries listed, lagging in institutions, infrastructure,
macroeconomic stability, health, primary and higher education, goods market efficiency, labor
market efficiency, technological readiness, business sophistication and innovation.

The Competitiveness index 2009-10 for South Asia is given in table below to ascertain the
improvement requirements of our labor force.

Table 1: Global Competitiveness Index-South Asia 2009-10

The above table for the Global Index, lists the profiles of South East Asian countries for the year
2009-10, it can be seen that Sri Lanka and India dominate in competitiveness. Sri Lanka comes
64th in terms of Higher education and training while India comes at 83rd in labor market efficiency
while Pakistan is 118 and 124 in both respectively. Pakistan needs to step up its efforts in this
regard if it wishes to compete in the global arena.

1.2 Macro Economic Setting for VTEC Institutes

The unemployed and underemployed labour force in Pakistan often look towards foreign
employment due to more opportunities with better pay packages. The following table shows the
number of unemployed in Pakistan:

Table 2: Unemployed –Pakistan & Provinces (Million)

According to 2008 figures Pakistan has sent about 4.2 million people abroad, to more than 50
countries of the world since 1971. Due to the increase in migration the remittances flowing back
to Pakistan have been increasing steadily and have been playing a major part in the survival of
the economy. During the first seven months of the current fiscal year 2009-10 remittances sent
home by overseas Pakistanis continued to show a rising trend as an amount of $5,198.13 million
was received showing an increase by 21.53% per cent over the same period of the last fiscal
year. But due to the financial crisis world wide people have lost jobs and it is rumored that the
increase in remittances is because of laid off labour heading back to Pakistan. Therefore it is
crucial for Pakistan to produce highly skilled and innovative labour in order to compete with the
global market.

The International labor organization (ILO) in its “Global Employment Trends” states that if global
poverty trends persist then the share of the working poor in the South East Asian workforce would
be over a third in 2010. In order to absorb all the new entrants into the labor market growth rates
should at a minimum be 6.3% annually for a 10 year period. While Pakistan pursues its high
growth strategy it should also be mindful of increasing employment and the skill content of its
labor force so that effective poverty reduction can be achieved.

1.3 Brief Overview on the Education Sector of Pakistan

Public expenditure on education as a percentage to GDP is lowest in Pakistan due to fiscal

resources constraint. The trend of investment in education in terms of GDP has been 2.50% and
2.47% since the past couple of years while during the last fiscal year it was much lower and
approximately 2.10%. The figures for total historical expenditure in absolute terms as well as a
percentage of GDP are shown in the following table:

Table 3:

According to Pakistan Social and Living Measurement (PSLM) Survey (2007-08), the overall
literacy rate (age 10 years and above) in Pakistan is 56% (69% for male and 44% for females).
The survey also highlighted the fact that literacy remained higher in urban areas (71%) than in
rural areas (49%).

The education sector in Pakistan consists of thee parallel systems; general education through
which ‘general human capital’ is created and vocational and technical education who produce
‘specific human capital’ as well as the “madrassa system” which imparts religious knowledge. The
former is portable across one’s life and from job to job, while the later one is not but it has an
advantage by imbibing specific job-relevant skills that make work more readily suitable for a given
job and would make him/her thus more productive. It is beneficial to have both “general
education” as well as “vocational education”. Hence both are important, and education systems in
many countries include both general and vocational streams of education in varying proportions.

Unfortunately over the years Pakistani Government has been ignoring the Vocational and
Technical education sector until last year when the government launched their National Skills
Strategy (NSS) (2009-2013). The launching of NSS was considered as a very important step
towards the right direction and along with an extensive and comprehensive policy document and
strategy it was felt that Pakistan’s education sector was finally going to pick up. Regrettably it is
general opinion that the NSS Scheme has not been implemented in true spirit and therefore has
not been producing desired results for the economy.

1.4 International Development of VTECH Institutes

Developing countries like India and Bangladesh which are fast becoming developed economies
have greatly stressed upon the vocational and technical education system in their countries. For
example India had a goal of expanding vocational education so that at least 25% of enrollments
in the secondary education would be in vocational education, while Bangladesh had a similar
target of 20%. China which is currently fast becoming known as the next super power previously
had a goal to attain 50% vocational education for its economy.

Other Asian economies like South Korea and Taiwan placed high priority on special vocational
education at an early stage of their industrialization process. The very first educational
development plan of Pakistan envisaged technical and commercial education as an integral part
of general education, with diversification of the secondary education curriculum.

The Asian Development Bank (1991) categorized several Asian countries, and described, Korea
as “a leading example” of how governments can promote an extensive school-based VET; while
Singapore has developed a “comprehensive vocational training infrastructure,” forging strong
linkages between education institutions and training agencies; Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines,
Thailand and Sri Lanka have “fairly developed” vocational and technical education systems –
both in public and private schools; While “the agrarian economies of Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan
and Myanmar have “patchy” systems of vocational and technical education”. While on the other
extreme, Japan has the most developed and well-established infrastructure providing school
based as well as enterprise based VET.

Research carried out by National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration, India
(Tilak, 2002, p.8) mentions that some countries like Israel, Jordan, Korea and Turkey have
expanded their vocational educational systems considerably, the enrolments in vocational
education forming more than 20 per cent of the enrolments in secondary education. Countries in
East Asia like Thailand, Japan, China, and Indonesia have also high enrolments in vocational
education, while countries in South Asia like Bangladesh and Pakistan have very tiny vocational
secondary educational systems as shown through the following table:

Table 4: Countries Classified by Level of Enrolment in Vocational Education (Latest Year)

(Enrolment in Vocational Education as % of Total Enrolment in Secondary Education)
< 2% 2-5% 5-10% 10-15% > 15%
Myanmar Malaysia Brunei Papua New Guinea Thailand
Bangladesh Hong Kong Mongolia Indonesia Korea, South
Oman Vietnam Cyprus Japan Israel
Kuwait Lao Iraq China Jordan
UAE Singapore Syria Turkey
Qatar Iran
Pakistan
Cambodia
Saudi Arabia
Source: Vocational Education & Training in Asia (2002)
1.5 Economic Benefits of VTEC Institutes

Countries like Korea, Taiwan, Japan, China and Israel have invested extensively n VTEC
Institutes in their countries, the result being that all of these countries have benefited greatly
economically as well as socially due to policies (as shown in the previous section). Thus it goes
without saying that one very important pre-requisite for industrial and commercial development is
training in the appropriate skills required for growth to take place in the broad sector.
 Vocational education would contribute to such progress by developing what can be
termed as ‘skill-culture’ and attitude towards manual work, in contrast to pure academic
culture and preference for white collar jobs; and to serve simultaneously the “hand”' and
the “mind”, the practical and the abstract, the vocational and the academic.” (Grubb,
1985, p. 548).
This supports the Pakistani mentality of the poor class pulling out children from
educational institutes in order to put them directly into real life work. Vocational training
will be the substitute for hands on training for ‘real work’.
 It will also reduce unemployment, through creating employment in the fields of pre-
vocational specialization and self-employment, and by encouraging a large labour force
participation at the end of secondary schooling, improving productivity, and correspond-
ingly resulting in higher earnings.
 Vocational education also acts as an antidote to urban-biased elite education, as it will
promote and serve the needs of relatively poor people by putting an end to urban
migration by transmitting skills and attitudes useful in employment and development for
disadvantaged youth in rural areas. Those rural and urban youth who do not succeed
academically will be given a chance to access skills for a specific profession instead of
remaining unemployed.

The need to reform the skills development system therefore, comes from a number of directions:

1. The need to be competitive globally,

2. To increase the efficiency of the domestic industry,
3. To support enhancement of foreign remittances,
4. To provide employable skills to people in the context of a growing population and
5. To ensure access to new career opportunities.

Section 2: Documenting Local Context

 II.1 NRSP/IRM Introduction

NRSP is a non-profit organization which undertakes development activities in the rural areas of
Pakistan. It is operating in the Islamabad Capital Territory and in 96 districts of all the four
Provinces and Azad Jammu & Kashmir. The Institute of Rural Management (IRM) comes under
NRSP and is a training institute in the non-profit sector with a diversity of training programs.

Although IRM is an integral part of NRSP, it began its operations as a self-managed and
autonomous institution in 1993. IRM serves as the training wing of all the Rural Support Programs
(RSPs) in Pakistan, and its outreach extends to almost 100 Districts (in all four provinces and
Azad Jammu and Kashmir).

The VTEC Institute comes under one branch of the IRM Programs. Other programs of IRM
include field oriented research studies, symposiums, national and international workshops and
exposure visits. Some of the training programs held under the IRM network are as follows:

• The Community Training Program works to enhance the capacity of community organization
members in managerial, technical and vocational skills. The main components of CTP are the
Community Management Training Program, Social Sector Services Training Program,
Environment and Natural Resource Management Training Program, Vocational Training
Program, and Enterprise Development Program.

• The Staff Training Program aims to enhance the knowledge, skills and attitudes of the staff of
other RSPs, government departments, national and international organizations. The main
components of STP are the Internship Training Program, Management Development Program,
and Micro Finance Training Program.

• The Professional Development Program implemented in partnership with the Rural Support
Programs Network, aims to enhance the professional competencies of senior and mid-level
managers by developing a needs-based curriculum for training courses that upgrade academic,
technical and managerial skills.

• The Women's Leadership Program enables women professionals to improve and develop
their leadership and management skills. This unique program consists of five 2-week sessions
over one year. The sessions are complemented with 'distance learning' and mentoring.

• The Academics Program offers Post Graduate Diplomas in Human Resource Management
and NGO Leadership and Management. It also offers Executive Diploma in English Language
Proficiency. These diplomas are designed for professionals from government, corporate sector
and civil society organizations.

2.2 Structure & Organizational Chart

Besides hosting a multitude of training programs IRM has a support function departments helping
out the organization to achieve its objectives. These support departments are made up of the
following functions:

• The Advocacy, Communication and Networking section aims to provide support to the
activities of IRM through its reports, brochures, newsletters, case studies, leaflets, and
documentaries. ACN has proved to be instrumental in enhancing the involvement of government
and civil society organizations in participatory development by generating opportunities to learn
and share new approaches, technologies and information.

• The Akhter Hameed Khan Resource Center was set up to honor the contributions of this
renowned scholar and activist to social mobilization and participatory development. The AHKRC
serves as a repository of knowledge, both contemporary and historical. One significant point of
focus is the archives of the RSPs' field experiences and Akhter Hameed Khan.

• The Teachers’ Resource Up-gradation Center was established in 2005 to design and deliver
training to primary school teachers. The objective is to make them effective facilitators in the
classroom. The TRUC also develops supplementary teaching guides and teaching materials to
inspire and empower teachers to become better educators.

2.3 VTEC Structure & Network

Vocational Training Educational Center (VTEC) comes under the Institute of Rural Management
with the VTEC Principal reporting to the Team Leader of the Livelihood Section who in turn
reports directly to the IRM Executive Director (currently being Mr. Roomi S Hyat). Please refer to
Annexure for the detailed organizational structure. There are four major vocational centers in
Pakistan; one in Rawalpindi working in collaboration with Behbud Pakistan since 2002, Sukkur,
Jamshoro and a recent opening in Peshawer. There are also temporarily VTEC’s set up in rented
accommodation from time to time in various places over Pakistan according to demand and
needs assessment one such VTEC being in Thar. Generally the permanent VTEC facilities
include:

 Low-cost hostels and transportation facilities

 Hands-on learning with 80% practical work and 20% theoretical study
 Innumerable number of different vocational training courses
 Laboratories to cater to different types of technical vocations
 Accreditation by government training institutes like National Training Board, Skills
Development Council and TEVTA (Government of Punjab)

VTEC’s also became temporarily operational in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) soon after the
earthquake to facilitate in rebuilding people’s lives.

Training participants are referred to the VTEC Institute through the NRSP Rural Support Program
Network (RSPN). RSPN has a vast network of over 100 districts which have functional
community organizations consisting of community participants. The establishment of community
organizations (CO) is done through a Poverty Score Card through which the referral process for
trainees is established. The referral process is as follows:

1. The Social Organizer (SO) is considered “the mode of communication” between the
RSPN and the community members. Each Social Organizer informs the Community
Organization members of the available courses.
2. The prospective trainee then identifies his or her need for particular skill training in the
community organization meeting.
3. The community organization determines the applicant's need. If it is genuine, and if the
Social Organizer considers the applicant to be eligible and deserving, a resolution is
passed on to the Social Organizer in favor of the applicant. The applicant is then
nominated for the training.
4. NRSP enters into an agreement, called Terms of Partnership (ToP), with each CO. The
ToP identifies the responsibilities which both NRSP and the community members must
undertake. The CO is responsible for selecting the appropriate candidate and ensuring
that he or she will effectively utilize the skills learned after the training.
 5. NRSP identifies the appropriate public or private sector training institutes and assists the
institutes in designing appropriate training modules. NRSP also arranges the boarding
and lodging of the trainees.
6. The ToP also includes an agreement that a certain portion of the tuition fee will be borne
by the CO.

In other cases private institutes and NGO’s themselves identify the trainees and recommend
them to the VTEC Institutes under a project specific initiative between the two organizations. One
example here is the Union Council Based Poverty Reduction Programme which has been
commissioned by the Government of Sindh. Trainees referred under this program under go the
Training Needs Assessment Report.

The Training Needs Assessment Report mentioned that the RSP’s developed Poverty Score
Card is used to identify the poorest of the poor households. Once the poor households are
identified a Training Needs Assessment Exercise is also followed through which the following
objectives are determined:

a. The type of employable skills required in the targeted area

b. The type of training required to obtain these skills
c. GAPs that exist
d. Areas where opportunities exist with regards to newly gained employable skills through
vocational training

Further to this the Report also mentioned the following trades that were identified and prioritized
according to the needs of the people of the targeted area in order of preference:

1. Auto Electrician
2. Auto Mechanic
3. Modern Dress Designing (Tailoring)
4. Beautician Training
5. Embroidery (machine)
6. Plumbing & Pipe Fitting
7. Driving
8. Mobile Repair
9. Commercial Poultry Management
10. Computer Training (Hardware/Networking)

Further to that once the trainees complete their assigned courses and receive their certificates
the VTEC administration provides them with 5 envelopes and letters with stamps so that they can
remain in touch with the administration post training. The general administrative consensus is that
very rarely are these letters used and on an average 3 out of 5 are put into use and posted back
to the VTEC. (Samples have been attached in Annexure)

The trained VTEC student’s whereabouts are occasionally informed through the RSP network.
The Social Organizer arranges Community Organization meetings on regular intervals, it is
through these meetings that future/current trainees are identified by relatives/friends or the
members themselves. When and where the trained VTEC trainees attend the meetings
themselves as members they keep the social organizer notified otherwise their relatives (parents,
neighbors) who are members voluntarily inform the organization about there whereabouts and
employability.

Thus the institute follows a voluntary approach with regards to keeping in touch with the trained
students and it is suggested that instead a pro active approach should be adopted.
 2.4 Analysis from Questionnaires & Interviews

A number of questionnaires and interviews were carried out with participants, teachers and other
administrative officials of the Islamabad VTEC and the IRM offices. A detailed analysis was
carried out on the participants of three courses:

 Refrigeration & Air-conditioning

 Plumbing-Pipe Fitting
 Building Electrician

Initially all participant names along with their education qualifications were noted down and it was
seen that classes consisted of a varied educational background. Some participants were
completely uneducated while others held degrees as shown through the following tables:

Table 5: Class - Building Electrician

Table 6: Class - Refrigeration & Air-conditioning

Please note “Middle Passed/Middle” signifies that the students have studied and passed classes
up till Eighth Class while “under Matric” signifies that the student has studied till ninth class and
had started off with his tenth class but left before appearing for his final exams.

Through the above tables a disparity is seen in the educational background of the trainees. This
signifies two very clear issues:

 The identification process for trainees is not reliable or not being followed
 The teachers must be facing issues in explaining simple concepts to students who are
completely uneducated

An interview with a teacher further confirmed that he faces trouble in explaining how to make the
uneducated students read and understand readings on instruments due to their non existential
educational background. Though the same teacher also mentioned how uneducated students are
more eager and willing to learn and apply in comparison to educated students.

Secondly another issue to examine in detail is with regards to the selection of trainees since even
those who hold degrees/diplomas are being encouraged to take part in the training. If in case
there is a requirement of un-employability in the areas that they belong too, then these educated
trainees should be facilitated in obtaining jobs instead of handing them over with another diploma
which might go to waste.

General Interviews and Questionnaires that were filled out by the students brought about a varied
response. Out of a survey of 45 students/trainees majority of them had not worked before or in
any similar profession. Only 3 had, had work experience.

Most students present at the facility were more than happy in being there and being provided with
hostel/accommodation. Since they were in their first/second week of the course they were
satisfied with the result with 41 students stating that they were very satisfied with the syllabus
outline and teaching style. 4 students expressed severe disagreement with the consensus due to
the following reasons:
Two students were very unhappy with the recommendation system. They had been under the
impression that they would be taking different courses but were assigned a variant. On
investigating further it was understood that the reason for this was as follows:
Administration’s Point of View: A misunderstanding between the Social Worker and the student.
The student wanted to be in the auto electrician course but was instead transferred to the
Building Electrician Course.

Student’s Point of View: The student was under the impression that he was transferred to the
Building Electrician course since the class for the Auto Electrician course had become full.

Two students remarked on their dissatisfaction with the pace of the courses since they had a time
period of approximately 1 month therefore it was impossible to learn so much in such a short
span of time.

One of the most alarming situations was that 100% of the students showed their desire to go
back to their villages to set up their own shops after completing this course. Without any “real life
practical experience” it seems impossible that they will be able to carry out their wishes despite
the fact that the courses have 80% practical work and 20% theoretical. The students were under
the impression that once they complete these classes they would become professional
electricians/plumbers etc. Not realizing that practical experience is equally important and also
most importantly that there were limitations present in the course itself.

There exists a clear communication gap in the students being able to assess that the courses
being offered to them are very basic in nature due to which it would be impossible for them to set
up their own businesses after passing out from these classes.

In order to avoid dissatisfaction and failure of expectations at the end of the course it is the
responsibility of either the social worker or the administration in briefing them on their perceptions
and encouraging or facilitating them in providing them with work before letting the students
venture into new territories.

Three trainers were interviewed with regards to their background and teaching skills. They
informed the surveyor that most of the trainers already had a background in teaching while some
were already teaching at other private and public Vocational & Technical Institutes like:

̵ Pak Arab Technical Training Center

̵ National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST)

Yet again there was one trainer who was working full time at a government organization and
training part time.

When enquired about their educational qualifications; one trainer informed the surveyor that he
had completed his B.A, while the other had also completed his BA and had a DAE Diploma; the
third trainer was an entrepreneur and was running his own shop.

2.5 Problems faced by NRSP VTEC’s

With reference to the above surveys carried out as well as interviews with administration and the
consultant’s own analysis the following observations have been deduced:

̵ The identification criteria for trainees should either be re assessed or investigated if it’s
correctly being followed on the field
̵ The expectations of trainees should be put into perspective with regards to the syllabus
outline
̵ Preferably the course time period should be extended so that a basic course can in turn
be converted into an advanced course
 ̵ A separate mechanism should be set up through which the trainees should be facilitated
in acquiring work experience and then being helped to find jobs or setting up their own
businesses in their respective villages
̵ The mechanism that should be set up should be incorporated into the existing MIS
system so that everything is recorded with regards to the results of the training which will
help in understanding statistics better. Thus a very advanced and state of the art MIS
system will be beneficial for the VTEC’s.
̵ Trainers should be given training on regular intervals and it’s advised that trainers should
either be with degrees in the same field that they are teaching. A more innovative
approach would be by picking up existing plumbers/electricians/carpenters from the
market (even if they are uneducated) and should be provided with teacher training prior
to conducting a course. The advantage in this approach would be that since they have
undergone a similar approach of learning by working and usually have an uneducated or
primary level education therefore they will be able to equate themselves best with the
trainees. They could also incorporate them into their daily day to day work as well which
can give the trainees a more “hands on” approach.
̵ Point to note, here is that most students have never been taught by quality teachers
therefore they have no prior knowledge to assess the current teachers.
̵ Instead of assessing demand of what the people of an area want to do and offer them
those skills accordingly an alliance should be set up between industrialists, educational
institutes and other industry experts through which identification of courses to be offered
should be based upon the demand present in the market.
̵ Regular monitoring and evaluation reports post training should be generated focused
towards partners, donors, and the administration (IRM & VTEC) with regards to what and
where the skilled trainees are and what kind of employment path they are following. This
would ensure a pro active approach from IRM/VTEC end with regards to follow up on the
skilled workers. It can be proposed that an activity like this can be initiated for a minimum
of 1-2 years after the skilled workers have passed out from the VTEC Institute or until
they become sustainable.

Principal VTEC is responsible for identifying relevant and upcoming courses along with their
syllabus guidelines in collaboration with the trainers who are employed on a temporary basis with
regards to specific training programs.

Section 3: Describe the Innovations

 3.1 Why do we need Innovation?

The discovery of new knowledge – from innovation, that the transformation of practice in a
community or the incorporation of existing knowledge into an economic activity can be termed as
innovation.

Economic development in countries like China, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan (as mentioned
earlier in Section 1) is based upon producing a task force which has been trained with the latest
and up to date innovation led vocational training. Innovation is dependent, less on original
discoveries, and more on the timely take up, modification, and marketing of knowledge solutions
that already exist but need to be adapted to local environments.’

Marceau (2001, p. 8) and Lundvall & Borrás (1997, p. 133) observe that ‘Incremental technical
innovation based on learning, diffusion of technology and organisational change are certainly
more important for the performance of any single national or regional economy than major
innovations’.

For example the Australian rural research and development was restructured in 1989 resulting in
high efficiency of much of Australian agriculture. The restructuring consisted of innovation led
training of its members which was promoted through successful agricultural extension programs
that build constant technical assistance on long-term sales contracts and the broad diffusion of
research and innovation through the applied research laboratories .

Another well known industry example is of the US Community Colleges which provide job specific
training and have also taken up the role in knowledge production and have become particularly
helpful to small and midsized enterprises, since they are better positioned to reach them than
universities, consultants, and service agencies, many of which prefer not to bother with “know-
how” needs that may not be technologically challenging or of a scale that can be sufficiently
profitable’. US research and analysis studies have shown that this kind of an environment has
been ‘absolutely central’ to the formation and success of Silicon Valley and many other innovative
clusters studied in the US.

A research carried out by Griffith University, Australia; Moodie (2006, p. 6) concludes the four
steps vocational education institutions should follow to establish a role in national innovation:

1. Emphasise innovation; eschew research

Vocational education’s role should be to stimulate ‘the timely take up, modification, and
marketing of knowledge solutions that already exist but need to be adapted to local
environments’ (Gibbons, 2004, p. 97) and not to conduct research in any of its pure or applied
forms.

2. Act locally, learn globally

Innovation is a local activity, although it often applies knowledge learned from overseas. Each
vocational education institute should therefore identify opportunities to stimulate innovation in
their region. Innovation opportunities will be different for each vocational education institute
since they are in different regions and have different strengths.

3. Form multiple partnerships

Vocational education institutions will contribute to innovation by broadening the partnerships
they already have with local businesses, service providers and industry associations. They
should also form partnerships with businesses and service providers in other regions in their
own country and overseas which have practices of interest to those in their own region, and
other partnerships with universities and research institutes locally and overseas conducting
research relevant to their region.
 4. Establish a national network of vocational education innovation institutes
Since much knowledge about innovation is tacit it is best learned and shared by networks of
bodies with shared interests. Vocational education institutes interested in contributing to
national innovation should therefore establish a national network to share experiences and
insights.

3.2 VTEC Strategy (Sectoral, Geographical, Rural)

Every new initiative especially in the development sector must be target specific in order to link its
outcomes with the national economic policy of the country. This ensures a mechanical process
for impact assessment of the project under review against the country’s economic and financial
outcomes.

Therefore it is equally important for VTECH Institutes to be focus oriented with regards to training
students for specific industrial sectors, management/entrepreneurial sectors, geographically
specific or focused towards a particular segment of society.

3.3 Monitoring & Evaluation System

Competitive VTEC Institutes need to have a detailed information system which analyses the
number of participants, courses attended, pass out rates, teacher training courses, market
analysis on demand for specific labour/skilled workers, latest technological trends and their
impact in the local skills market and most importantly the number of its participants which have
settled down into stable jobs pertaining to the courses attended by them at the VTEC Institute.
This will enable them to remain sustainable and innovative for the long term. Preparing for such
an important task requires vast and critical information from various entities.

Human, financial and capital resources need to be carefully planned and managed. Information
on students, teachers and graduates need to be gathered and analyzed. Particular skill
requirements from the industry need to be identified and appropriate adjustment to the current
education system need to be carried out in order for VTECH to fulfill its responsibility. Therefore,
the Benefit, Monitoring and Evaluation or BME project has to be carried out to accommodate
information needs. A proposal for a web-based system to support VTECH’s in its planning,
managing and decision making activities has been suggested later on in this research. The
system would ensure faster data collection, higher integrity of generated information and
systematic distribution of management reports.

3.4 Establishing a Demand Supply Link (Collaboration and Partnership)

An analysis carried out by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Improving Technical Education
and Vocational Training: Strategies for Asia mentioned that the fundamental issue in skills
development is how best to balance the supply of skills with demands in the labor market. If the
demand is unsatisfied, skills bottlenecks impede growth and development. If the supply is not
absorbed, unemployment and waste of scarce resources ensue (Johanson and Adams 2004, 17
—18).

Through multiple partnerships with employers and the government authorities regarding their
policies; an analysis can be formulated regarding the current skills in demand. A separate unit
should be set up which analyzes market trends in terms of job creation and absorption, wage
levels, waiting times for employment, etc.(as shown in the diagram). Similarly if this information
about market demand is distributed widely, trainees /students will automatically gravitate toward
the occupations most in demand and where wages reflect scarcities, thus adjusting supply
upward to meet demand.

Diagram 1: Steps in the Training Process

The ADB Research Paper stated that the most important factor is linking up with employers, i.e.
the extent to which employers are actually involved in advising and directing skills development.
Employer advice is important, but the degree of their authority over decisions and direction in the
training system is even more important. The most effective forms of employer participation confer
some authority on employers to direct training systems.

Managers of training institutions need incentives to break out of a supply-led mode. Owners and
managers of private training providers often have strong financial incentives to adjust their course
offerings to the demands of the market.

Furthermore collaboration could be done between academic institutes, industry and vocational
institutes to provide equipment to the training institutes and improve the delivery and content of
the curriculum this would enhance skills of VTECH Institutes considerably.

3.5 Dividing Secondary Level VTEC and Higher Level VTEC

Worldwide VTECH Institutes follow varied institutional structures according to their country
policies and strategies. For example from the middle ages onwards all over Europe the
Apprenticeship system for vocational and technical education developed which is the model being
followed in Germany to date. Germany has structured this model with a modern approach in
which a dual system exists comprising of two basic models: center-based training and enterprise-
based training as shown in the diagram.

Diagram 2: The German Dual Apprenticeship System

Theoretical training is provided about one day per week by public vocational training centers, and
practical training is provided in-enterprise about four days per week. Apprentices sign an
employment contract with an enterprise, which gives them on average three-and-a-half years of
formal training under the supervision of a certified master. Apprentices receive an allowance fixed
by collective agreement for each branch of training. Graduates receive a nationally recognized
diploma. Almost 70% of school leavers in Germany go through the dual system, with very low
dropout rates. The diploma also provides access to continuing training at more advanced levels,
such as for a technician certificate (Calloids 1994, 245).

In Pakistan this system already exists but in a very informal self sufficient ideology without
Government and private organizational help. In Urdu this kind of training is coined as the “Ustad-
Shagird” (Teacher-Student) relationship. All local mechanics, plumbers, carpenters Are the
products of this kind of hands on training where the ‘ustad’ (teacher) takes up unskilled workers
and provides them with hands on training while carrying out their daily business routines.

This system can be institutionalized in Pakistan as per the guidelines of the German model by
incorporating all Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) into the VTECH Database as future
employers and providing them with semi skilled workers instead of fresh unskilled workers. Semi
skilled workers would be students who have already undergone primary VTECH training
preferably at the secondary level. These students would start off work/internship with their
employer after undergoing the basic training program and continue with advanced and higher
level training part time in order to learn new trends and ideas quickly and bring them into his/her
practical life as soon as possible to ensure efficiency.

3.6 Professional Instructor Training

Fundamental to the effectiveness and sustainability of a successful skills development system is

the quality and quantity of VTECH teachers and trainers. Training of instructors within the VTECH
system in Pakistan however, is uncoordinated and attenuated by issues such as insufficient
funding.
A proper framework should be developed outlining the instructor’s qualifications for entry into the
VTECH teaching/training and/or for their continuing professional development. To ensure quality
of teaching two types of training should ideally be provided to the trainers:

1. Upgrading their knowledge in new technologies and equipment

2. Upgrading teaching and assessment skills in a competency based training approach

Once again a partnership should be set up between vocational institutes trainers and the
country’s best universities in guiding them on teaching skills and assessment. While constant up
dates from the VTECH Institutes Market Analysis Department should be suggested in order to
keep the trainers up to date with new technologies and concepts applicable not only within the
country but globally. These trainers can then go through exchange programs with countries
specializing in relevant technological fields in order to impart the same level of expertise and
knowledge to their students.

3.7 Introduction of Incentives

Many researchers have examined the effect of providing a variety of nonmonetary and monetary
incentives which have generally (although not consistently have resulted in an increased
response. Likewise VTECH Institutes should apply the same concept for trainers and students
both. Trainers should be provided with a performance based salaries against key performance
indicators (KPI’s) for example against number of candidates passed out successfully, or number
of candidates who have been able to attain jobs or the best indicator being the number of
increased candidates attending the course (if the teacher is performing well then word gets out
and a larger number of candidates try to register for the same course)

Likewise the VTECH Institute’s quality itself should be pegged against its output and
administration should be motivated to perform better by increasing their funds for the project or
helping them in changing policies through government initiatives.

3.8 National/International Accreditation and Recognition

The Japanese VTECH model is such that the vocational and technical courses are introduced
into the basic educational institutes from the very beginning. Thus the student has a choice to
continue towards the vocational & technical stream or the standard educational stream. Similarly
the government has made the system in such a way that graduates from the vocational and
technical courses can pursue higher university level degrees in the same field despite not going
through the typical secondary higher level education. National accreditation is made such that
there is no bias between the two systems due to the quality of the VTECH institutes in Japan.

Likewise if Pakistan wants to encourage export of its labour class to help its economy through
incoming remittances then it has to provide a system of international recognition of its VTECH
Institutes in order to ensure its market share in the labour export category. Due to the recent
financial crisis, globally competition has increased significantly even in the labour market since
employers prefer people who can multi task while keeping pace with their normal productivity
levels. For this Pakistani labourers for the least need to learn how to speak in a universal
language albeit not fluently and/or be able to use their reading/writing skills.

3.9 International Cooperation

Despite the Government’s National Skills Strategy for 2009-2013, Pakistan requires extensive
cooperation in its education sector be it VTECH Institutes or the typical educational institutes.
International cooperation in terms of training for trainers, exchange programs, training students,
enhancement of infrastructure, and financially is urgently required. The emerging demographic
trends in Pakistan, point towards a growing population between the age of 10 to 25 ready to enter
the labour market expecting to find jobs, only to find out that their education and training have not
provided them with the appropriate skills. It will, therefore, be difficult for the large semi-skilled
and unskilled workers to find a decent job in the labour market.

With such a labour force Pakistan cannot position itself in the international market to compete and
increase foreign remittances from abroad. In the changing scenario, the types of skills demanded
in the international labour market are changing and better skilled workers are being preferred
over semi-skilled and unskilled workers. Similarly, to increase Pakistan’s share in world exports
and to compete with imported goods domestically, Pakistan has to focus on improving its
competitiveness. Upgrading skills to enhance the productivity of our labour force would contribute
greatly towards increasing country’s competitiveness.

It is, therefore, important to improve the skills profile of Pakistani workers to enabling it to access
better jobs in the domestic and international job markets and gain higher incomes. Pakistan must
provide training skills with regards to the latest employment trends in order to survive global
competition.

Section 4: Explaining the Process

 4.1 ADB Case Study (Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal & PNG)

An ADB Case Study carried out on improving and assessing VTECH capabilities (2004, p. 74)
with regards to six of their projects have come up with varied results. Three out of six projects
(Nepal, PNG, and Marshall Islands) aim mainly at training towards the informal sector in terms of
self-employment, income generation, and livelihood skills. The Pakistan project also includes a
training component for the informal sector, i.e. development of livelihood skills in rural areas with
delivery through NGOs.

The other three out of the six projects are essentially training towards modern sector employment
(Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka). In the Maldives project, aims are to attract more people into
the labor force and to reduce dependence on foreign workers, particularly. (Refer to the following
table):

Table 7: Main Economic Emphasis of ADB Training Projects

a. Links with Industry & Employers

As mentioned in the preceding Section 3 with regards to innovations in the industry a key factor
identified was establishing multiple partnerships with industry, government, employers etc. The
ADB impact evaluation study notes this as a major issue in past projects.

“This is one of the weakest aspects of the TEVT program in all the developing member countries
(DMCs)… The experiences of the DMCs in this study highlight the importance of strong linkages
with industry. Operating virtually in isolation from industry, the polytechnics of Pakistan and the
TCs of PNG and Sri Lanka have deprived themselves of valuable inputs... These include not only
opportunities for industry exposure of students and teachers alike, but also the built-in feedback
mechanism on the type, level and quality of personnel needed (ADB 1999, 18, 24).

b. Training Delivery

Another key point identified through the ADB Case Study was that short term training was indeed
more valuable, effective and cost beneficial:
“An interesting feature of the set of reviewed projects was the emphasis on short-term training, as
opposed to 2 or 3-year pre-service training programs typical of traditional vocational training. By
its nature, training for informal sector occupations must be short term, as the participants cannot
afford the opportunity costs of longer-term training. The Nepal and PNG projects stress the short-
term nature of the skills to be provided and its immediate application to income generation or self-
employment. The livelihood skills training in the Marshall Islands also inevitably will be short in
duration. Even the Sri Lanka project, which concentrates on long-term technician training, intends
to introduce part-time learning programs for employed workers.”

c. Private Training Providers

The study also highlighted that training from private organizations and NGO’s were more effective
in contrast to government initiatives at a national level.

“From the results of the study…the private TEVT institutions appear to be the more efficient
providers. Would it not be cheaper for the Government to meet most of the excess social demand
by simply encouraging private sector institutions to increase their share in the provision of TEVT?
(ADB 1999, 23)”

The ADB study further pointed out that:

“It was particularly disappointing to see little attention to the role of Private Training Providers
(PTPs) in the Pakistan project. If government is to reduce its role in training—-which could be
desirable on both effectiveness and efficiency grounds, ways must be found to stimulate the
development of PTPs. A major opportunity may have been deferred or missed.”

d. Sustainability

The study showed that apart from industry linkages, sustainability was one of the most significant
issues for VTECH Institutes. Those institutes being funded by the Government were considered
weakest with regards to sustainability (e.g PNG) while those institutes which were being funded
by external organizations like the ADB, World Bank and/or International Governments were
considered to be strongest (e.g Marshall Islands Project) due to expected continuing support from
the US Government. While the Pakistan project was considered especially weak despite being
funded by the ADB due to past ADP Projects in the country. As mentioned in the study:

“It is not clear how this differs from previous (failed) project assurances on financing. There
appears to be no strategy here to wean public institutions off public financing. Based on
experience, loan covenants requiring the DMC to provide adequate funding after project
completion were not enough to ensure sustainability (ADB 1999, 24).” The projects should give
more serious attention to the various alternatives contributing to financial sustainability.”

4.2 Singaporean Case Study

Yek, Penny, Seow (2007) carried out a case study on the Singaporean environment with regards
to the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) in exploring understanding, measuring, managing
and realizing the impact assessment of VTEC’s.

VTECH Institutes in Singapore have a relatively short history. A national system of training was
adopted primarily to support the human resource needs associated with industrialisation after
independence. Since then, VET has undergone several transformations and ITE (the Institute of
Technical Education), a post-secondary institution, was established in 1992 as the national
institution responsible for providing VET to school leavers and working adults.

Worldwide VTEC’s are perceived to having a lower status against academic counterpart but ITE
has largely overcome this ‘image’ problem. Today, Singaporeans embrace VET as an accessible
and choice alternative, enjoying a cohort participation rate of 27 percent compared with a national
target of 25 percent (ITE, 2005, p. 37).
The Singaporean ITC is the first education institution to win the prestigious Singapore Quality
Award in October 2005. ITE can also be considered a world-class VET institution as in
September 25, 2007, the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard
University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government announced ITE as the winner of the (US)
$100,000 IBM Innovations Award in Transforming Government.

This achievement can be attributed to ITE’s tradition of performance measurement since its
inception in 1992, which has, in turn, led to the formal adoption of Balance Score Card as a
strategic management system since 2002 in an endeavor to enhance quality and performance
within the institution.

The case study showed the improvement in quality and performance of VTEC at ITE is also clear
through the trend of actual results achieved over the last 10 years. Improvements were especially
significant in the last five years after the adoption of BSC in early 2002. A number of KPIs
tracking its core business (providing VTEC in Singapore) has shown consistent and significant
improvements.

Four broad themes have emerged through reflection and systematic document review for this
study:
1. Active communication bringing about deep common understanding and teamwork
2. Active communication promoting professional development
3. Active communication inducing organisational coherence
4. Active communication identifying clear priorities and performance targets

Active Communication bringing about a common uderstanding and teamwork

The ITE-BSC model engaged staff members to bring about deep common understanding of how
the various strategic objectives, programmes and measures adopted were connected to the
overall vision of the organisation resulting in a shared commitment to actions. This common
understanding helped in eliciting passion and committed actions.

Active Communication Promoting Professional Development

The annual planning and half-yearly (mid-year and year-end) review cycles for the scorecards
following the adoption of BSC in ITE promote active communication and professional
engagement down and up the management chain in the form of coaching and dialogue. With the
scorecards, communication sessions to review progress and performance are more focused and
less contentious. The ITE experience suggests that the planning and review processes using the
scorecards promote positive professional engagement. It promotes professional development of
individuals and helps them grow and mature professionally as a result of dialogue and coaching.

Active Communication Inducing Organisational Coherence

Active communication induces organisational coherence in the programmes, projects and day-to-
day activities of a complex organisation. The consultative approach in the BSC implementation at
ITE allows everyone in the organisation to be part of the processes. Participation helps in making
every staff member in the organisation be able to see the bigger picture and share the vision.
Visible involvement of teachers in developing the strategy also allows them to connect the dots.

Active Communication Identifying Clear Priorities and Performance Targets

The ITE-BSC model and integral approach taken to develop the scorecards within a structured
planning and review framework means that there is wide consultation among the stakeholders
and active participation by every staff member in the development of strategies, programmes and
measures that eventually make up the scorecards. This leads to clear understanding and buy-in
for subsequent implementation. Active communication of the scorecards ensures each and every
staff member identifies with priorities and performance targets set for the organization.
 4.3 Malaysian Case Study

A case study carried out on the Malaysian technical education system (Deraman, Fahmy, Yaakub
& Jemain) (2002) focuses on the quality and performance management of vocational and
technical institutes.

Formal technical education in Malaysia is offered by Technical and Vocational Education schools
(TVE). These secondary schools are under the purview of the Technical and Vocational
Education Department (TVED), a department under the Ministry of Education. Technical
education is a two-year program where students will sit for the Malaysian Certificate of Education
(SPM) examination and eventually continue their studies to various institutes of higher learning.

Vocational education, on the other hand, provides specific education and training programs to
students for acquiring certain skills. Upon completion of this two-year program, students will sit for
Malaysian Certificate of Vocational Education (SPMV). From there onwards, students can further
their studies to polytechnics institutes or go into the job market immediately after graduation.

The Malaysian government is trying to shift its economy from a production-based economy to a
knowledge- based economy (K-economy). Therefore, it is crucially important for Malaysia that the
education and skills development programs are tailored to meet the needs of the labor industry.
As such, TVED is designated to prepare skilled technical and intelligent workforce to Malaysia in
meeting the goals of Vision 2020

Therefore a web-based system; e-Benefit, Monitoring & Evaluation system (BME) was proposed
to support TVED in its planning, managing and decision making activities. This computerized
management support system is crucial for every aspect of TVED’s management requirements.
The system would ensure faster data collection, higher integrity of generated information and
systematic distribution of management reports.

The case study implemented a survey to identify how well did e-BME meet its requirements and
perform required functions. Results of the survey are as follows:

1. 52-65% of the respondents agree that screen attributes (letters, color scheme, layout)
were Good and 9-28% of them rate it Excellence.
2. 20-65% of the respondents agree that the terminology and system’s information are
Good.
3. 20-47% of the respondents agree that the time taken to learn the system, ease for trial
and error, task implementation and message screen used are Good compared to 23-38%
who find they Can Be Improved.
4. 23-57% of the respondents agree that the processing speed, data integrity, information
updating feature and the suitability of e-BME for all level of users are Good while 12.5%
rate them Excellence.

It was concluded that the “e-BME is not a complete management information system per se, but it
provides a solid foundation for future enhancements and modifications. Much work can be done
to improve both the model and system e-BME proves to be a powerful management support tool
especially in the education system. Reports in the form of internal and external efficiency
indicators provide TVED with the information needed for strategic decision-making process.

4.4 Japanese Case Study

A UNESCO-UNEVCO Case Study based upon the Japanese model for VTEC’s shows that
courses in upper secondary school were divided into two: the course devoted mainly to general
education (general in course) and the one mainly devoted to specialized education, with the latter
further subdivided into the vocational and technical courses dealing with each industry
(agriculture, business, fishery, nursing, related courses etc), and the other courses such as music
related courses, fine arts related courses and physical education related courses.

Besides these two courses the “Integrated Course” has been created as a third option. In this
“Integrated Course” students enjoy optimum freedom in the selection of subjects. A work
experience project, in conjunction with a Japanese company, is also compulsory. The other
subjects are completely free for students to select. Students select subjects which they want, and
plan their own upper secondary education. By enjoying the optimum freedom and active learning,
students are expected to cultivate the ability to learn independently, which is essential to work in
a rapidly changing society where new knowledge and skills become quickly out of date.

The other main feature of the “Integrated Course” is career guidance. The whole education of the
“Integrated Course” is organized for career guidance. In the “Integrated Course” emphasis is put
on the cultivation of abilities and aptitudes of students for a career. Therefore, schools which have
the “Integrated Course” are obliged to open a certain number of vocational subjects so that
students can deepen their understanding of a career by taking these vocational subjects. Through
the three year course, students are brought up to find which occupation they would like to pursue
in the future. The “Integrated Course” has changed the attitude of Japanese upper secondary
school students towards a career and is an example of the convergence of vocational and
general education.

Currently Japan is part of the advanced level of the information society, bolstered by progress
related to technological innovations in the information processing and telecommunication sectors.
Rapid increases in the use of information technology is illustrated by the spread of the production
environment information system in agriculture, sales information management in the the
distribution business sector, the seat reservation service in the transport business sector and
computer-aided diagnosis systems in the medical sector.

In order to undertake vocational education to adapt to the social and economic changes in Japan,
it was recommended that it will be more effective on some occasions to develop new courses
rather than merely improving and enlarging the content in the existing courses. For example their
VTECH Institutes offer a new Electro-Mechanical Engineering (Mechatronics) Course which aims
to have students learn the mechanical and electronics technology in an integrated way. This
course was developed to train specialists who understand both electronics and mechanical
technologies and are capable of running and managing advanced production systems. Pakistan
is far away from introducing these types of course in its VTECH Institutes but the idea is to adapt
to economical changes taking place in the Pakistani environment itself. The large equipment to
be used for the Mechatronics Course was developed in the factory while small equipment for
instructional materials was developed by teachers in each technical Institute. (Example many
kinds of computer controlled training systems, simulators and experimental equipment for basic
theory).

Another example of their information system oriented society with regards to VTECH Institutes as
well is shown by their desire to incorporate new technologies into its vocational system. The
UNESCO-UNEVOC Case Study pointed out how agricultural related VTECH courses were
updated with regards to introduction of bio technology related subject in agriculture and fishery
sectors.

Another major trend observed in Japan is that companies ensure training of their staff through
technologically advanced training centers. The preparation for work that sets Japan apart from
other nations is the lavish provision of in-service training throughout the life of the worker.
Courses beyond the immediate and specific needs of workers are offered, creating a work force
that is dedicated, disciplined, flexible, and versatile.

However, small and medium-sized firms cannot offer such abundant training to their workers, and
thus depend upon vocational center training. An advantage of this approach is that VTECH
Institutes in Japan themselves are highly advanced and ‘technologized’ as mentioned in the
preceding paragraphs with regards to their choice of subjects. This ensures quality training skills
for all and not just SME based trainees.

Section 5: Policy Making & Lessons Learned

5.1 VTEC Structure

The VTEC structure should focus itself and strike a balance between demand side requirements
and supply side requirements.

The institute should offer those courses that hold relevance for the industry (employers) and meet
with the economic and social objectives of the country. Consequently the supply side should
develop objectives which meet the demand side requirements and use them as inputs for
achieving the desired training. Please review the following diagram:

Diagram 3: Steps in the Training Program

5.2 Benefit, Monitoring and Evaluation

As mentioned in the previous section under the Malaysian and Singaporean model a requirement
for a monitoring and evaluation system was proven to a major success factor in assessing the
performance of a VTEC. e-BME is a system for education monitoring and evaluation by means of
establishing internal and external efficiency indicators. e-BME receives input mainly from
Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) schools and graduates. There are four types of reports
that are generated by the system: Management, Financial, Research and Planning. TVED could
use these reports in its policy and decision-making activities. This system promotes faster data
collection, higher integrity of generated information and a systematic channel for distribution of
reports. The BME system receives results from tracer studies from VTEC/TVE graduates and the
industry as input as shown in the following diagram:

Diagram 4: BME Model

The e system can also receive statistics from other VTEC/ (TVE) schools and collaborate
together for results. Reports are presented to monitoring and evaluation department (TVED) in
the form of external and internal efficiency indicators. These reports can also be presented to
TVE schools. Reports from the BME system can also act as input for existing computer systems.
However, in the Malaysian case no online linkages were made .

a. Conceptual Design

E-BME comprises of five components; Students, Management, Finance, Research and Planning.

The core component of e-BME is the Student Management Information System where
information is obtained as soon as students enroll into TVE/VTEC schools. Based on this basic
record, their academic progress and other relevant information can be monitored and reported
and serves as a basis for establishing input from tracer studies.

The management component basically produces human resource reports and statistics.
Example repots would be enrolment by gender and program, professional qualifications of
academic staffs and total number of support staffs.

The Finance component is designed for the financial division of the institute and produces
financial reports like emolument of academic staffs, total cost of equipment maintenance and
annual cost per student enrolled.

While the research component is focused on working graduates; example reports would be the
percentage of graduates who are employed within six months after the passing out from the
institutes, percentage of employers who are satisfied with the graduates performance but provide
additional training as well.

Finally the planning division shall ideally deal with the facilities and infrastructure of the institute.
Example reports would be average classroom capacity used for teaching per semester and
average teaching hours per week per full-time teaching staff.

b. Implementation

The E-BME system would be fully accessible by the director of VTEC and its divisions. Access to
other divisions and departments should be granted based on need and requirement only. The
director would receive overall reports on the performance of VTEC schools for a given academic
year. The Management, Finance, Research and Planning divisions would receive specific repots,
suited for individual needs. Financial divisions for example, would receive financial reports
necessary in order to monitor its predetermined internal and external efficiency indicators. While
the training institutes headmaster/principal, counselor and registration teacher would be allowed
to access relevant information. Headmasters and counselor can only view reports of his/ her own
school while the registration teacher would input and update the necessary information. The
following diagram shows the detailed operating environment:

Diagram 5: E-BME Operating Environment

5.3 Establishment of a Balance Scorecard Method (BSC)

The original BSC model developed by Kaplan and Norton is important to balance measures from
the Financial Perspective with measures from the Customer Perspective, Internal Business
Perspective as well as Innovation and Learning Perspective. However, since VTEC’s are
generally publicly funded and not-for-profit institutes, therefore while costs are important, they
would not be driven by the financial bottom line. Instead VTEC’s would be driven instead by the
needs of stakeholders: students, parents, employers and community.

Thus a typical BSC model for VTEC Institutes would be as shown in the following diagram:

Diagram 6: BSC Model

The BSC model could easily be linked with the E-BME model discussed above. The Balance
Score card would identify the key performance indicators (KPI’s) and the Strategic Objectives
which could be monitored through the E-BME information system. Each perspective has been
briefly explained as follows:

a. Stakeholder perspective
For The VTEC to perform well, it must improve its brand, which is its reputation in the
development sector as an organization that’s committed and has a history of delivering its targets
while achieving its objectives. This would enhance its acceptability for funds from the government
as well as the private sector. It’s stakeholder perspective can also consist of increasing its cohort
capture rate and enhancing organizational excellence. VTEC survival depends on its ability to
attract school leavers to its range of programs, and enable them to find meaning and purpose in
completing the programs successfully as well as be equipped for employment so that graduates
are valued by employers.

b. Customer perspective
The VTEC should consider its students as its customers; the way customers are very important
for all profit making companies likewise for a non profit organization the objectives should not
change in order to ensure quality.

It should have a systematic approach in determining customer (student) requirements, building

customer (student) relationship and ensuring their satisfaction. It analyses its own value
proposition and segments its customers before determining key customer (student) requirements.
It reaches out to potential students (customers) by inviting them to visit and be immersed in the
VTEC environment for two days under an “Experience VTEC Program.” It should have a
structured framework in place to provide care, guidance, motivation and support to students.”

c. Process perspective
The VTEC should understand what it must excel at? It can have a strong commitment to quality,
availability of courses, innovation and technology and/or job marketability.

d. Learning and development perspective

This was adapted from innovation and learning perspective in the original BSC model which in
essence asks the question: “Can we continue to improve and create value?” For VTEC institutes
the surest way to continue “to improve and create value” is to engage all staff members (teachers
and support staff) in lifelong learning and continual professional development. In this perspective,
the BSC model can have three strategic objectives:

1. Favorable organizational climate,

2. High employee involvement, and
3. Learning opportunities

These objectives are geared towards engaging staff members in professional learning and
development so that the institute can attract, retain and develop staff with the desired profile and
passion to meet it’s vision and goals.

Section 6: Conclusion
Issues relating to VTEC are not just curriculum questions, nor are they economic but in fact they are
intricately linked with social, cultural, historical, economic, technical, and political parameters. Hence
formulation of sound and effective policies and plans for VTEC’s requires an inter-disciplinary
development approach, treating VTEC as an integral part of the overall educational planning.

Globalization and the financial crisis has brought new challenges for economies of under
developed countries like Pakistan; since obtaining jobs world wide has become very competitive
and due to desperate measures over qualified workers are seen applying for all kinds of jobs. In
order to overcome this issue, it is vital to be innovative and up to date with the latest technologies,
skills, management procedures, knowledge to ensure the competiveness of the economy. This
can only be led through enhancement of skills, training, multi tasking and education.

Vocational and technical education at school level and setting up of the specialized institutes of
good quality is necessary. The government has come up with a very impressive National Skills
Strategy for 2009-13 but to implement this in spirit is the issue that the government has to
address along with governance issues. Likewise public-private partnerships need to be enhanced
to achieve the desired goals of training requirements to bring Pakistan to a competitive level
globally.

As mentioned previously in the research paper; countries like Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand,
Korea, Malaysia and many more have achieved prudence in the global workplace as well as
social and economic gains by investing heavily in HRD in their initial stages of development. In
the South Asian region, Pakistan’s position in trained manpower is fairly weak. The economy has,
so far, not produced managers, professionals and a knowledgeable workforce needed for
achieving a higher productivity and required value addition.

Advocacy for VTEC’s within Pakistan should hardly face any issues since not only does the
Government endorse such an initiative as shown through its NSS Policy but the major success
factor that goes ignored is that; since education is not available to the entire Pakistani population
therefore any kind of training which is easily accessible to them would be endorsed, especially
since it makes the illiterate class feel that they’re one step closer in obtaining “real work”. As
mentioned earlier in order to market these skills and training programmes the VTEC’s can easily
use the extensive network of Rural Support Programs available through the NRSP network which
is operational in over 100 districts.

An impediment that exists in obtaining private sector input is that there exists uncertainty in the
changing policies of international organizations. As mentioned in the research paper on
Vocational Training in Asia (which appeared in the Handbook of Educational Research in the Asia
Pacific Region):

“Another aspect of confusion for the governments in developing countries is the changing policies
of international organizations like the World Bank. World Bank supported VET in many countries
in Asia for a long time. For example, in 1984-85 of the total World Bank lending for education,
one-fourth was meant for VET projects. As stated earlier, World Bank and UNESCO have
strongly argued in favor of investing in VET and its rapid expansion for economic growth. But by
the late 1980s, the Bank policies took a ∩-turn on vocational education and strongly favored
investing away from VET (World Bank, 1995). World Bank’s investment in VET came down to a
meager three per cent of the total education lending by 1996 (Bennell and Segerstrom, 1998, p.
271). The frequent ∩-turns of organizations like the World Bank in case of vocational education
(and also manpower planning, rates of return to education and higher education) have caused
considerable confusion among the governments of the developing countries on the wisdom of
investing in VET. Countries that did not rely on World Bank assistance might not have suffered
much. “
Despite the changing government and international organizational policies it is seen through
various case studies that providing Vocational and Technical Training is the critical success factor
in obtaining competitiveness along with productivity and efficiency in the country’s economy.
Incremental technical innovation based on learning, diffusion of technology and organizational
change are certainly more important for the performance of any single national or regional
economy than any other major innovations.

SECTION 7: REFERENCES
1. International Labor Organization

2. Ministry of Youth- Research Documents

3. Ministry of manpower and Labor Reports

4. Federal Bureau of Statistics

5. Economic Survey-Education, Labor, Economy (2008-09)

6. Global Competitiveness Report

7. Asian Development Bank- VTEC Strategies for Asia

8. National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration

9. Reports from Foundation Travail-Universite’ (Namur)

10. University of Sussex- Investing in Technical & Vocational Education

11. A Case Study of Malaysian Technical Education System

12. AARE 2007 Conference, Freemantle Australia (Conference Papers)

13. Griffith University, Australia’s- Research in Post-Compulsory Education

14. UNESCO-UNEVOC – Case Studies on Technical and Vocational Education in Asia and
the Pacific

15. SAARC Human Resource Development Center-Case Studies on Pakistan

SECTION 8: ANNEXURE
 1. Questionnaire Format-Students

QUESTIONNAIRE/ ‫فہرست سواالت۔‬

VTEC Institute Rawalpindi

1. Which course are you attending?

---------------------------------------------------
1. What is the total duration of the course?

-----------------------------------------------------
2. How many days/weeks have you attended so far?

---------------------------------------------------------------
3. Are you satisfied with the quality of the syllabus? On a scale of 1-5, please tick your
desired level with 5 being the highest and 0 being the lowest.
0 1 2 3 4 5

If you have any other comments please explain:

---------------------------------------------------------------

4. Are you being able to comprehend the teaching style? On a scale of 1-5, please tick your
desired level with 5 being the highest and 0 being the lowest.
0 1 2 3 4 5

If you have any other comments please explain:

-------------------------------------------------------------

5. Do you have adequate space/infrastructure for your course requirements? On a scale of

1-5, please tick your desired level with 5 being the highest and 0 being the lowest.
0 1 2 3 4 5

If you have any other comments please explain:

--------------------------------------------------------

6. Have you worked in a similar profession before? Please tick the appropriate box

Yes No

7. Are you currently working somewhere while attending the course?

 Yes No

Please give details:

---------------------------------------------------------------

8. Have you made arrangements to work somewhere after completing the course?

Yes No

Please give details:

---------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Profiling of Students
  Teacher's Name: Zafar Iqbal
  Class: B    
Evening Shift: 1.00-6.00
  pm    
       
  Student Name Father's Name Qualification
1 Abdul Hayee Muhammad Nawaz B.Com
Allah Warayat
2 Abdul Hussain Junejo B.Com
3 Aakash Kumar Shanker Lal Bsc. (Eng)
4 Faraz Ahmed Haji Arbab Ali Matric
5 Sohail Ahmed Abid Hussain Matric
6 Tariq Mehmood Khan Mehmood Matric
Middle/Hifz
7 Muhammad Ikram Khan Muhammad Quran
Muhammad
8 Muhammad Naeem Nasrullah Middle
9 Nasir Mushtaq Mushtaq Ahmed Middle
10 Bilalawal Khursheed Ahmed Uneducated
11 Abdul Fatah Sain Baksh Uneducated
12 Ali Khan Mehboob Uneducated
13 Ghalib Muhammad Salah Uneducated
14 Muhammad Punhal Jan Muhammad Uneducated

3. Profiling of Students/Trainers 1

Teacher's Name: Bashir Ahmed

Class: A (1 class only)
Evening Shift: 1.00-6.00 pm

Student Name Father's Name Qualification

1 Ansar Hyat Haji Sardar Matric
2 Shaukat Iqbal Muhammad Iqbal Under Matric
3 Muhammad Fayaz Ali Muhammad 8th
4 Amir Hyder Muhammad Nawaz Under Matric
5 Qasim Dilshad Irshad Hussain 9th
6 Amjad Iqbal Muhammad Iqbal Middle
7 Sohail Ahmed Rustam Khan Matric
8 Muhammad Tahir Ali Afsar Primary
9 Muhammad Abdullah Rao Abdul Ghafar 7th
10 Muhammad Imran Muhammad Ramzan Under Matric

4. Profiling of Students
  Teacher's Name: Amjad Bukhari
  Class: B  
Evening Shift: 1.00-6.00
  pm  
     
     
  Student Name Qualification
DAE Diploma (Equivalent to
1 Azizullah BA)
2 Luqman Khan Fsc.
3 Siddiq FA
4 Muzzamil Middle Passed
5 Faisal RASHID Matric
6 Muhammad Farooq Middle Passed
7 Abdul Basit Middle Passed
8 Muhammad Jam Uneducated
9 Muhammad Yaqub Uneducated
10 Waseem Shehzad Middle Passed
11 Muhammad Shabeel Khalid Middle Passed
12 Shahid Kamran Middle Passed
13 Kashif Matric
14 Muhammad Faheem Primary
15 Muhammad Waheed Middle Passed
16 Haq Nawaz Middle Passed
17 Muhammad Shehzad Primary
18 Muhammad Javed Matric
19 Tahir Abbas Uleducated

20 Usman Ali atric

21 Za&ar Hussain Middld Passed
 5. Call Beport 1-Khawaja Tariq

S5bject: NRSP VTEC -Call Report

Date8 11th March 10
alled upon: Khawaja Tariq (Principal VTEC)

Purpose of this call was to identify the VTEC structure, its capacity, capability and potendial in
teris of syllabus, puality and most importantly its impact assessment through its outreach afd joB
marketability (post trahning impact). Following was ascertained t`rkugh the visit:

 Infrastructure-The VTEC institute had a well equipped building with regards to

computer/hardware equipment, mobile phones equipment, electric equipment and sewing
machines for stitching classes. The building had enough capacity to hold further classes
since quite a few class rooms were available.
 Syllabus-All VTEC classes being carried out had a set pattern which was documented;
the institute was satisfied of the fact that all new technologies introduced in the market
were taught in class even before having the syllabus revised/approved.
 Teaching Quality-All teachers were picked up from the market with regards to their
degree and experience but a demand for a transparent system for selection exists
greatly.
 Student Body -The institute was generally catering to students recommended by their
own network of NRSP offices, NGO’s and other organizations working in the
development sector. Walk in students consisted of just 1 or 2 self funded individuals.
 Post Training Facilitation-All students are encouraged to gain work experience and
complete a three month internship period after their training commences but the Institute
does not pay a role of facilitating them in obtaining jobs. Impact assessment does not
exist.
 Certification-The institute itself had received ISO Certification
 Visit of the Facility-A round of the facility showed that four classes were being held:
Electrician, Tailoring, Mobile Phone repairing and training for birth attendants.

Training courses are alleged to have a positive effect on the students’ attendance and behavior,
to increase confidence and self-esteem and to aid progression in their professional life. But in
order to obtain these objectives following needs to be kept in mind:

 Policy making for training centers should be such that students are facilitated to obtain
internships during their training period so that they are more apt in enquiring against real
life issues. Institutes should be held responsible in providing job placements after
commencement of training.
 A monitoring and evaluation system should exist in every institute in order to obtain
impact assessment of courses being offered through market sources and through the
success ratio of passing out students. An MIS system for this purpose is highly
recommended.
 All training institutes need to ensure that the approved syllabus is being followed in
classes in reality. This can be tested on a random basis which will also lead to assessing
the quality of value addition on students.
 6. Call Report 2-Abdul Bari

Subject: IRM Visit-Call Report

Date: 26th March ‘10
Called upon: Abdul Bari (Ex-Principal VTEC)

Purpose of this call was to obtain an understanding on the following issues:

 
1. The total number of districts that the NRSP network is operating in . (Website mentioned
both values of 100 & 56 districts)
Actual number of districts that the organization operates in is 96
2. Funding mechanism for VTEC’s (channels  for fund transfers) 
All funds under the training head are controlled from Head Office (IRM) and are project
oriented. (Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) has a project with NRSP under
which a certain number of (2500) individuals have to be trained over the project life)
3. Training for VTEC trainers (Are they part of the Teachers Resource and Up gradation
Center  (TRUC) training?)
TRUC Training is a government initiative for primary and middle level teachers and has
no collaboration with the VTEC trainers. No external training of any sort is offered to the
trainers.
4. Exact number of VTEC’s (reason for closure of AJK VTECS)
Currently there are three VTEC’s operational in Pakistan under NRSP. One is situated in
Sukkur, Jamshoro and Rawalpindi. A third VTEC in Peshawer is expected to become
functional in a few days.
5. Social Organizer comes under the VTEC umbrella ? Or under a different program of the
IRM network?
The Social Organizer is part of the NRSP Rural Support Centers and refers participants
to VTEC through rural support meetings held with the locals of the targeted area.
6. Any published reports or unpublished reports on NRSP VTEC’s ?
I was told that reports can be found through the Resource Center since there is no record
keeping at the VTEC or the IRM.
7. Marketing Strategy for VTEC’s
As such there is no marketing strategy for VTEC’s since private candidates cannot apply
unless they are referred through the rural support organization of NRSP or are project
specific and are referred through donors (PPAF)
8. Syllabus formalization Procedure for VTEC Courses
VTEC syllabus is amended and renewed as per the requirements judged by Principal
VTEC but do not have a formal system/pattern (yearly, monthly, batch wise) for renewals.

During the meeting I was also provided with the IRM Annual Report (latest 09). 

7. Call Report 3-Sohaib Alam

Subject: NRSP VTEC -Call Report
Date: 5th April 10
Called upon: Sohaib Alam (Finance/Accounts Officer)

The VTEC Institute in Rawalpindi was visited for a second time in order to carry out the
questionnaires and gain more information regarding the monitoring and evaluation exercise
carried out by IRM as well as various case studies carried out time and again.

During the visit an informal discussion was carried out with Mr. Sohaib Alam through which the
following issues were highlighted:

Course Duration- It was suggested by Mr. Sohaib that the course duration should be extended
especially for those courses which are for 1 month in order to be more beneficial for the
participants. (E.g. Tailoring is sub divided into two courses: Basic Tailoring & Advanced Tailoring.
If both courses are amalgamated into one course they can become more advantageous for the p!
rticipants)

Assessment Process – It is seen that sometimes partici`aNts ard under the impression or are
promised a specific course throueh the Rural support Network. But once they reach VTEC Pindi
they42are allotted a differant course. Raasons for this ar% due to illiteracy (participandq) in
highlighting their needs whic( results in communication problems bet7een the rural support center
rEpresentative and tHe participant. (A recent example was quoted in which a participant was
under the impression that he would be doing a course as an auto electrician but instead he was
placed in a building electrician course at the VTEC.

Continuous Feedback – It is VTEC policy to give each participant passing out 5 envelopes (1 for
each month) and a question format in order to maintain coordination between the Institute and the
participant so that their employment opportunities can be assessed post training. Unfortunately
on an average only 2-3 envelopes are used by participants to give feedback to the institute. Thus
a formal monitoring and evaluation process is not initiated.

Financial Software – The VTEC Institute maintains records of daily expenses on an excel sheet
and does data entry into the system but unfortunately the Training Institute does not have direct
access to the reports/analysis of the Financial Information System (FIS). The FIS as well as the
Management Information System (MIS) is maintained at the head office (IRM) and reports can be
requested through/from them as and when required.

Please refer to Section 2: Documenting Local Context of the Case Study for detailed analysis of
the survey carried out and the results of the questionnaires.

8. IRM- Organizational Chart

Communication from Ex-Students
Material Supplied for Documentation

Questionnaire Feedback