Pakistan to get $100mn from ADB to improve skills training

December 14, 2022 (MLN): The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $100 million loan to improve Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Punjab province in Pakistan, a statement issued by ADB on Tuesday showed.

The improving workforce readiness in the Punjab project will help enhance the quality and relevance of TVET to increase graduates’ employability, upgrade workers’ skills, ensure more equitable access to training for women and disadvantaged groups, and improve management and strategic planning in TVET institutions, it added.

ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Yevgeniy Zhukov said that Punjab makes up over half the national income and is expected to make a significant contribution to Pakistan’s post-flood recovery.

ADB’s project will fund demand-driven and gender-focused training to boost livelihoods and support industries that are key to Pakistan’s recovery and future growth, he added.

Furthermore, ADB’s project will finance the establishment of 19 TVET centers of excellence in eight priority economic sectors including automobile assembly parts and repairs, construction, food processing, health, information and communication technology, light engineering, textiles and garments, and tourism and hospitality.

They will provide programs with linkages to industry and deploy best practices. The project will include the development of skills training programs using technology in response to emerging trends in the fourth industrial revolution.

Moreover, Pakistan’s high vulnerability to climate change and disaster resilience will be incorporated into the design of TVET centers of excellence while training on how to prepare for and respond to disasters will be provided.

ADB Director for Social Sectors Rie Hiraoka said, “Workers with improved skills in key areas such as construction and agriculture will be essential to implementing stronger safety standards, building back better, and helping the country prepare for future natural hazards”.

ADB’s program also seeks to support women and will prioritize disadvantaged groups to improve their chances of finding quality jobs and boosting their incomes, Rie Hiraoka added.

The project includes a $2mn technical assistance grant from the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific, which will help to strengthen the TVET institutional framework and strategy in Punjab, it added.

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