The Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC), in collaboration with National Vocational & Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), conducted the Regional Program on Empowering Workforce and Gender Inclusivity: Navigating the TVET Landscape Through Digitalization and Green Practices from July 8 to 12, 2024 at Margala Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan. The pool of participants consisted of 18 TVET institutes’ officials from Bhutan, Fiji, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
The program served as an avenue for the participants to understand the concept of gender empowerment and inclusivity in TVET through digitalization and green practices; and for sharing their experiences with other member countries. With this, the overall program was implemented by the following Program Supervisors: Prof. G.L.D. Wickramasinghe, CPSC Director General; Ms. Gulmina Bilal Ahmad, NAVTTC Chairperson; and Mr. Muhammad Aamir Jan, NAVTTC Executive Director.
Prof. G.L.D. Wickramasinghe, CPSC Director General (top), and Ms. Gulmina Bilal Ahmad, NAVTTC Chairperson (bottom left) inaugurate the opening ceremony; Mr. Shafiq Hussain Khokhar, NAVTTC Director General (bottom right) delivers his welcome speech
The five-day program commenced through an opening ceremony led by Prof. Wickramasinghe and Ms. Gulmina who welcomed the participants and their distinguished guests. NAVTTC Director General (A&F) Mr. Shafiq Hussain Khokhar also delivered a welcome speech wherein he acknowledged the collaborative efforts of CPSC and NAVTTC in implementing the program.
Panel discussion during the international conference
Furthermore, an International Conference on Digitalization and Sustainability for Inclusive Workforce Development in TVET was held right after the opening ceremony. The panel discussions focused on Digitalization in TVET for Inclusive Workforce Development, and Green Technologies for Skill Development and Employment. Resource speakers during the first panel discussion included Prof. Dr. Arshad Saleem Bhatti, Rector in Virtual University; Dr. Mansoor Zeb Khan, Head of TVET SSP in German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ); Muhammad Bilal Abbasi, General Manager of Projects Ignite, Islamabad; Ms. Sarah Parvez, Head of Education in British Council; Ms. Qurrat-ul-Ain, President of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI), and Founder & CEO ITHM College Faisalabad; and Dr. Steven McKee, President of Labtech International Ltd. Meanwhile, the second panel was comprised of Ms. Yulia Bazhenova, Head of Project Textiles-II in GIZ; Mr. Saqib Rafiq, President of RCCI; Mr. Sardar Mohazzam, Managing Director of NEECA; Dr. Sonia Saleem, CEO of Smart Education Technologies; and Dr. Ahmad Ziad Bin Sulaiman, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academic & International Affairs in University Malaysia.
The succeeding days were dedicated to the presentation of theme papers, and workshops facilitated by engaged experts. This includes a special lecture on Empowering Workforce through TVET Landscaping: Strategies for Success given by Prof. Wickramasinghe. To supplement the sessions, an institutional tour was conducted at the National University of Technology (NUTECH) campus. This allowed the participants to learn about the institution and gain insights from their best practices. For the cultural visit, the participants also visited the Lok Virsa Heritage Museum, a museum that exhibits the history and culture of Pakistan.
In the closing ceremony, some participants were selected to share their reflections over the course of the program. Moreover, Prof. Wickramasinghe congratulated the participants, CPSC, and NAVTTC for the success of the overall program. Mr. Muhammad Aamir Jan, together with Ms. Gulmina, also gave their respective messages to conclude the five-day program.
