ISLAMABAD: Vocational training providers from Australia, Talisman Healthcare and Sero Institute, are visiting Pakistan to participate in the International Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) conference. The conference has been organised by the National and Vocational & Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) Pakistan through the TVET Reform Support Programme. It will provide a platform to exchange experience and knowledge on vocational education practices which will support the development of Pakistan’s TVET system. The conference will be attended by key international and regional vocational training providers. Acting Australian High Commissioner Jurek Juszczyk said Australian education providers regularly visited Pakistan to meet with local institutions and to recruit students. Australia’s institutions were helping with curriculum development in Pakistan including through twinning arrangements between Australian and Pakistani colleges. “There is significant demand for skill based training in Pakistan that meets international standards. But currently, there is a limited supply of such training. Australian education providers enjoy a very positive reputation in Pakistan and around the world. We provide opportunities to deliver affordable and industry-relevant qualifications which are recognised by employers and will help students secure jobs,” Juszczyk said. Australian skills training company Talisman Healthcare is currently in the process of establishing a training partnership in Pakistan to deliver skills training, assessment and certification to Pakistani nurses prior to placing them into jobs in the Middle East and other countries. The company is also looking to develop a large scale competency-based skills course for emergency services personnel across Pakistan in the area of road trauma rescue. At the moment, there is a need to train more than 800 nurses for immediate jobs in the health sector. Sero Institute is exploring opportunities with the College of Tourism & Hotel Management (COTHM) in Pakistan to deliver a suite of programs in hospitality and culinary arts at vocational and graduate levels.