Over the years, young people have been taught that education is the key to success and it will open new opportunities for them. However, the rising unemployment rate in Pakistan raises several concerns. Most graduates question whether education is worth investing in, especially when majority of young graduates in the neighborhood are either unemployed or working for low wages.
In Pakistan, 31% of educated young people are currently unemployed and it is a serious problem, especially for new graduates. Due to the lack of practical experience and skills, these graduates initially struggle to find employment. Pakistani employers believe that universities and colleges fail to supply them with workers who have the requisite skills in demand because there are less connections and a “misalignment” between educational programs and market demands and needs.
Our colleges and universities have evolved into automated systems for awarding degrees only. In 2020–21, Pakistan produced roughly 471,306 university graduates. However, there is no formal guidance for students choosing their career path and choosing a particular course of study. Additionally, university training programs and courses are of poor quality and do not meet market demands.
In its truest sense, education is about preparing young people for their future, not only for degrees. It plays a key role in the creation of new knowledge and the invention of new technologies that benefit mankind. It provides students with the knowledge, skills, and behavior that will help them succeed in both their academic and general lives and, ultimately, create a peaceful and prosperous world.
Pakistani universities need to design the courses and degrees in collaboration with the industries to meet industrial needs, but so far, no coordinated action has been taken in this direction.Â
The world economy is intertwined, and not everyone needs a college degree to be successful in life. Technical vocational education and training, which offers a chance to develop specialized knowledge and skills for employment, is highly valued in most of the developed countries. Numerous studies demonstrate that hiring employers prefer to hire people who already have the necessary skills over training unskilled workers.
In China and most of the developed countries, educational institutions focus on developing skilled talent with the skills to drive innovation and contribute to economic growth. This is achieved by working closely with the industry to ensure that we have an adequate workforce for the specific needs of various industries.
Pakistani universities need to design the courses and degrees in collaboration with the industries to meet industrial needs, but so far, no coordinated action has been taken in this direction. Technical and vocational training is also a key missing element in Pakistan’s education sector. In South Asia, Pakistan performs the lowest in terms of technical and vocational education and training. There are only 3,798 vocational training institutions in Pakistan with limited only to 500,000 trainees capacity. On the other hand youth unemployment is estimated to increase by 1.5 million annually.
Morover, inadequate skills, lack of industrial connectivity, lack of teachertrainings, lack of female participation, and lack of government funding are all features of Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Pakistan. Another common behavior is that young people prefer generally higher education to vocational training. This system and mind set needs a major shift.
Pakistan could and must benefit enormously from shifting their education system towards technical and vocational courses. Pakistan can learn from the major economies of both the East and the West. To accomplish the goal, we do not  need massive institutions and universities. Urban and rural educational institutions, both have existing facilities that can be used or upgraded for a variety of vocational courses and trainings.
TVETisanurgentnationalneedforPakistan’sgrowingyouthpopulation.YoungpotentialshouldbetappedusingeffectiveTVETdevelopmentanddeploymentstrategies. Government funding for TVET institutions and programs for skill development and training needs to be increased. Additionally, new legislation should be passed to allow large,mediumandsmallenterprisestoparticipateinthedevelopmentoftechnicaleducation.Participationintechnicaltrainingbywomen,whoconstitute52percentofthepopulation,shouldalsobeencouraged.
The aim should be to equip young people with the market-oriented, traditional high-tech skills they need to advance their careers, with the aim of raising their productivity to international standards, only then we can convert the growing despair among youth into hope.
