POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROJECT (SPPAP) VOCATIONAL …

Southern Punjab Poverty Alleviation Project (SPPAP) Visit Report (01-02 May, 2015), VTEC-IRM, Rawalpindi/Islamabad ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

IFAD ASSISTED-

SOUTHERN PUNJAB

POVERTY

ALLEVIATION

PROJECT (SPPAP)

VOCATIONAL TRAININGS VISIT REPORT OF

PROJECT DIRECTOR SPPAP, BAHAWALPUR

Vocational Technical Education

Centers (VTECs)-

Institute of Rural Managemnet

(IRM),

ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI

01-02 May, 2015


TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACRONYMS

BACKGROUND

OBJECTIVE OF VTEC VISIT

VISIT OF VTEC-IRM

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

OBSERVATIONS

RECOMMENDATIONS/WAY FORWARD


Acronyms

CO Community Organization

DMU District Management Unit

ETO Entrepreneurship Training Organization

GOPb Govt. of the Punjab

IFAD International Funds for Agriculture Development

IRM Institute of Rural Management

NPSC National Poverty Score Card

NRSP National Rural Support Program

PD Project Director

PMU Project Management Unit

SMP Social Mobilization Partner

SPPAP Southern Punjab Poverty Alleviation Project

VTEC Vocational Technical Education Center

VTO Vocational Training Organization


1. BACKGROUND

Govt. of the Punjab has launched the Southern

Punjab Poverty Alleviation Project (SPPAP) in

four Districts of the Southern Punjab i.e.

Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Muzaffargarh and

Rajanpur with the Financial Assistance of the

International Funds for Agriculture

Development (IFAD). The Financial Agreement

was signed on 30.09.2011 while SPPAP is

expected to be completed by 30th September

2016 and loan will be closed by 31st March,

2017. The Project’s goal is to contribute to the

reduction of poverty in Southern Punjab. Its

development objective is to increase incomes of

80,000 poor households by enhancing the

target group’s employment potential and

increasing their agriculture productivity and

production.

To achieve the project objectives following

components and interventions model has been

designed for poor communities especially for

women having National Poverty Score Card (0-

23).

SP

PA

P C

om

po

ne

ne

ts

1. Livelihood Enhancement

Asset Creation

Small Ruminants

(02 Goat Package)

Small Land Plot

(05-20 Marla)Community Physical

Infrastructure Schemes

Vocational Trainings

Entrepreneurship Trainings

2. Agriculture & Livestock

Development

Productivity Enhancement Initiatives

Community Service Provider (CSP)

Para Vets Training

3. Project Managemnet

Project Management Unit

District Management Units


Social Mobilization Partners i.e. NRSP,

Vocational Training Organizations, Entrepreneur

Training Organizations i.e. IRM are the major

Implementing Partners. In order to launch

vocational trainings for 11,555 poor beneficiary

especially poor youth with the special fix quota

for females (50%), SPPAP entered in an

agreement with M/S Institute of Rural

Management (IRM) for imparting vocational

skills trainings. These training are expected to

help the poor rural communities in availing

different livelihood opportunities and will

increase the incomes of households

through engaging communities in employment,

self-employment and business establishment.

Vocational trainings are being arranged in all

project districts by establishing training centers

in different trades at the grass root level by the

M/S IRM whereas trainings in vastly technical

trades are being structured in the already

established training institutes (VTECs) of M/S

IRM in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. A SPPAP

team1 visited the training centers in Islamabad

and Rawalpindi from 01st to 02nd May, 2015

1 Team Composition: Mr. Muhammad Saghir, Project Director, SPPAP, Mr. Muhammad Imran Nazir, Gender & Poverty Specialist, PMU, SPPAP & Mr. Jamil Akhter, Senior Trainer Heavy Machinery, New Lab, Nilore, Islamabad.


2. OBJECTIVE OF VTECs VISIT: To authenticate the quality of trainings.

To check the training facilities being provided to the trainees.

To take feedback of the trainees and to check their level of skill.

To review M/S IRM’s effectiveness and efficiency towards vocational trainings.

To chalk out a plan for post training activities.

To make recommendations to address M/S IRM’s issues and enhance its impact and

sustainability.

To chalk out more innovative technical and vocational trades for the youth of South

Punjab.

3. VISIT OF VTEC-IRM

The team visited both Vocational Technical

Education Centers (VTECs) in Islamabad and

Rawalpindi, interacted with the trainees, held

discussions with them on the quality of

trainings, their issues/feedback, and conducted

meetings with trainings instructors /trainers,

M/S IRM team/management to make those

trainings more prolific for the poor trainees and

to ensure the employment opportunities for the

pass out trainees.

It was noticed that

Vocational Technical

Education Centers (VTECs)

of M/S IRM were multi-

purpose well equipped

buildings with all facilities

which were included

vocational skills training

schools, labs of different

trades, computer labs, well

trained instructors and

other relevant facilities

boarding/logging etc.

Project Director-SPPAP

gave a brief talk to the vocational skills training

students, instructors/trainers and staff. He

encouraged them to be diligent in their

business, to think creatively and to press to new

heights of excellence in vocational and skill

trainings.


37

170

42

33

A Glance of District Wise Pass Out Trainees from VTECs

Rawalpindi/Islamabad

Bahawalpur

Rajanpur

Bahawalnagar

Muzaffargarh

4. OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Till the visited date, 337 students were enrolled

in both institutes from the four targeted project

districts of SPPAP in 09 different trades and out

of 337, 282 students were able to complete

their trainings

A. DETAIL OF TRADES UNDERTAKEN FOR SPPAP TRAINEES IN VTECs-IRM:

The trainees of SPPAP belonging to four

project districts were enrolled in the

following trades by the M/S IRM in both

centers;

Refrigeration & AC Repairing Heavy Machinery Driving Building Electrician Mobile Phone Repairing Car Driving

Motor Cycle Repairing Plumbing & Pipe Fitting Masonry Work UPS Repairing


B. GLIMPSE OF PROCESS OF SPPAP VOCATIONAL TRAININGS IN VTECs-IRM

RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD:

C. VTEC-M/S IRM Islamabad Faculty:

M/S IRM-VTEC Islamabad; established 01 year

ago in 2014 offered high quality training in 10

vocational trades through its well-furnished and

fully equipped workshops and team of expert

trainers. The faculty follows the uniform quality

standards as are followed in all other M/S IRM

Vocational Centers. As of now, the facility has

successfully trained the participants for SPPAP,

PSDF and NRSP under multiple interventions.

M/S IRM- VTEC faculty Islamabad was visited by

the SPPAP team on May 1st, 2015 at 10:00 am

and held a detailed meeting with M/S IRM-VTEC

Team2. The team briefed that 93 students from

four project districts were able to complete

their trainings in 05 specified trades while 20

students were under training in 02 trades (Car

2 IRM-VTEC Team Composition: Mr. Anwar-Ul-Haq, Program Manager, IRM; Mr. Abdul Bari, Senior Program Officer/Principal, VTEC, Islamabad, Ms, Khushbhat Aalia, Program Officer, Community Training, IRM.

Identification of Trainees by SMP-

NRSP

Screening by IRM Regional

Team

APPROVAL BY PMU-SPPAP

Training by VTEC-IRM

Monitoring of Trainings


Driving & Building Electrician). Trade wise detail

of trainees is given as under;

SR.NO TRADE NO OF TRAINEES STATUS 1 Motor Cycle Repairing 54 Completed

2 Masonry Work 10 Completed 3 Car Driving 32 18 completed 14 ongoing 4 UPS Repairing 05 Completed 5 Building Electrician 09 On-Going

Total 110

During the visit of on-going trainings, students

from electrician trade were filed in and showed

the team samples of their latest work and

creations using the center equipment and

trainers/instructor’s guidelines which included

well-assembled electric switch board and other

related accessory items. The students of car

driving class were questioned about the

modern traffic signals which were answered in

a satisfactory way.

Project Director-SPPAP gave a brief talk to the

trainees by introducing the project objectives.

He said that Govt. of the Punjab has special

focus on youth of Southern Punjab and project

is being implemented under the direct

supervision of Secretary, Govt. of the Punjab,

Planning & Development Department, Lahore.

He encouraged the trainees to use their hidden

potentials to learn the vocational skills and also

emphasized to seek the trainings in serious

manners so that they could use the learned

skills in productive manners after the trainings

which would be helpful for them to get rid of

vicious cycle of poverty. In this way, the vision

of Government of the Punjab could be gratified


D. M/S IRM- VTEC Rawalpindi Faculty:

M/S IRM-VTEC Rawalpindi; established in year 2001 offered training in more than 15 vocational and

technical trades through its well-established 09 multiple trade workshops Business Management skills

training and Life skills training are an inbuilt component of all the technical Programmes offered. M/S

IRM- VTEC had also affiliation with

Skills Development Council and

offered certification for city and

guild for selective trades.

SPPAP-team visited the M/S IRM-

VTEC Rawalpindi on May 2nd, 2015

at 11:00 am. The team was warmly

welcomed by the VTEC Rawalpindi

team3 and short orientation was

arranged in the office. Later on,

Class rooms and labs were visited,

discussion held with trainees of

Refrigeration and AC trade and

feedback was taken on the on-going

training

Detail of enrolled and pass out trainees from VTEC Rawalpindi was as under;

SR.NO TRADE NO OF TRAINEES STATUS

1 Motor Cycle Repairing 10 Completed

2 Mobile Repairing 37 Completed

3 RAC Repairing 53 40 completed 13 ongoing

4 Heavy Machinery Driving 75 Completed

5 Building Electrician 20 On-Going

6 Plumbing & Pipe Fitting 07 Completed

Total 202 189 mpleted & 13 Ongoing

3 VTEC Rawalpindi Team: Ms. Mehreen, Program Officer, Mr. Shoaib Alam, Finance & Admin Officer, Mr. Muhamad Shafique Ahmed, Program

Officer


5. OBSERVATIONS:

I. Very robust, and exciting environment permeated the whole visit with trainees/youth vibrantly

displayed their talents.

II. All students were youth trainees from four project districts.

III. Duration of some trades was diminutive as compared to the required time for obtaining high

level of skills in those specified trades (Heavy machinery, Masonry Work etc.)

IV. Boarding facility for all the trainees was at the door step provided by the M/S IRM

V. Secure and safety environment of the training centers and hostels.

VI. Level of skills of trainers/instructors was up to the mark.

VII. All enrolled trainees were male in both centers.

VIII. Feedback of the trainees was pleasing and satisfied from the training, material, trainers,

boarding, logging etc.

IX. Training Material was developed in an effective manner.

X. Pre & Post tests of all trainees were being conducted on regular basis.

XI. Workshops/labs were well equipped with advanced tools and most pertinent qualified trainers

XII. Major portion of the training (80%) comprised on practical exercises and 20% of the course

consisted of class room based training.

XIII. Regular classes for trainees spanning over five hours a day.

XIV. Trainees of different areas/organizations were also under training in VTEC-M/S IRM Rawalpindi.

6. RECOMMENDATIONS/WAY FORWARD;

Following proposals were directed by the Project Director-SPPAP for compliance by the M/S IRM to

make the vocational training program more prolific for the poor communities especially for youth of

southern Punjab;

I. In order to ensure the employment opportunities for pass out trainees, post vocational training

arrangements should be strengthened and better integrated with other parts of employment

systems by the M/S IRM at headquarter, regional and districts levels.

II. Employment of minimum 80% pass out trainees should be ensured to achieve the prime

objective of the project. Business Development Officers should played a pro-active role in

towards the achievement objective of sustainability.

III. Strong linkages development plan (trade wise) be chalked out to ensure the employment of pass

out trainees.

IV. It was noticed that without basic know how in driving, the training in heavy machinery trade

may be useless. It was decided that at least 15 days driving training be arranged for those

trainees relating to heavy machinery trade who would not familiar with driving.

V. M/S IRM would submit summary sheet of results of all trainees to the PMU-SPPAP along with

invoices in future.


VI. It was conveyed that trainings of all male trades be arranged in VTEC Islamabad/Rawalpindi to

make the vocational training program more beneficial for the poor youth.

VII. From gender point of view, it was decided that some highly skilled potential female trades

should be arranged at VTECs Rawalpindi/Islamabad. A proposal should also be prepared for

training of educated women belonging to project districts of South Punjab.

VIII. To give the exposure and to strengthen the capacities of field based staff of M/S IRM, the expert

instructors/trainers of VTECs-IRM would visit the project districts and field base vocational

training centers on regular basis.

IX. It would be the responsibility of M/S IRM teams to provide full support in preparation of LTV

driving licenses from their concerned districts for the trainees passed out in driving trades and

post tests of driving trade trainees would be taken by following the Islamabad Traffic Police

guidelines.

X. To bring the level of skills of all trainees at the same level, extra classes be arranged for slow

learner trainees where and when required.

XI. M/S IRM would establish a knowledge corner in PMU-SPPAP which consist on all type of training

materials and products prepared by the trainees.

XII. The Project Director stressed that literate trainees should be identified from the project areas

and be sent to VTEC for computer course to give the opportunity to the poor community for IT

skills.

XIII. M/S IRM would take concrete steps in post training follow-ups of the students and invest more

energies in ensuring the engagement of trained participants in income generation activities.

XIV. Life skills, grooming sessions and Business Management Skills training would be made

compulsory part of the trainings.

Documents

POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROJECT (SPPAP) VOCATIONAL …