The TVET institutions in the 21st century are operating in an environment that requires top management to possess a good combination of hard TVET skills, exceptional leadership qualities and amiable interpersonal attitudes for the success of the TVET programs today. It is with this reality that the Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC), in cooperation with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) organized a Customized Program that specifically tackles TVET Institute Management for Global Competitiveness.

The program gathered 126 heads and supervisors, mainly from the TESDA Provincial Training Centers (PTCs) and was held for five days through Zoom from November 28-December 2, 2022.

The program aimed to equip the TESDA Training supervisors with modern tools, techniques, and approaches of effective TVET institutions management. The ultimate goal of the program was to guide the institutions in their aim to provide maximum employment to the TVET graduates which can only be possible through effective TVET institute management and quality education.

The program was supervised by Prof. G.L.D. Wickramasinghe, CPSC Director General and the coordination was facilitated by Engr. Dr. Mian Khuram Ahsan, CPSC Senior Faculty Specialist.

Additional resources were delivered by former and current members of the CPSC Professional Staff namely: Dr. Kesavan Ulaganathen, CPSC Faculty Consultant; Prof. Romulita C. Altom EdD, CPSC Faculty Consultant and Engr. Abdul Ghani Rajput, Advisor of the Digitalization Sustainable Training and Education (STEP) and Former CPSC Faculty Specialist.

In addition to CPSC’s pool of present and local faculty, experts from the Pakistani Education Sector were also invited, specifically Dr. Muhammad Yasir (Deputy Director- Skills Standards and Curriculum of the National Vocational and Technical Traning Commission), Dr. Abdul Waheed Khan (Assistant Professor Department of IT and CS, Pak-Austria Fachhochochschule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology) and Mr. Syed Sabahat Ali Shah (Technical Advisor MIS, TVET Reform Support Programme, German Technical Cooperation).

Screenshot of the participants during the opening ceremony.

Screenshot of the participants during the opening ceremony.

During the five-day training session, the participants were able to be oriented with the following lessons as delivered by its team of invited experts: (1) Popularizing TVET: Concepts, Strategies and Mechanisms; (2) TVET Institutes Management for the Global Competitiveness; (3) Application of ICT and Digital Skills in Institutional Management and Teaching; (4) CBT Curriculum Approach in TVET; (5) CBT and Assessment System in TVET; (6) Developing ICT Tool or Mobile App for Teaching and Learning; (7) Enhancing Employability of Youth for Global Citizenship; (8) Developing a Curriculum Structure Integrating 21st Century Skills and IR 4.0; (9) National Skills Information System, its Application & Benefits; (10) Digitization in MIS and M&E and (11) Leadership in Managing Change through PDCA in TVET.

Dr. Mian Khuram Ahsan and some of the activities he facilitated during his presentation.

Overall, the program was able to meet its objectives of equipping knowledge and skills to adapt appropriate strategies in managing TVET and formulate actionable plans to enhance TVET systems and processes in their institution and promotion of technical cooperation among TVET institutions on the different programs related to IR 4.0 environment.