Daily Times

LAHORE: In order to fulfil the future needs of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) has decided to establish Pakistan’s first technical and vocational training university in Punjab in collaboration with Tianjin University of Technology and Education (TUTE).

TEVTA Chairman Irfan Qaiser Sheikh and TUTE President Liu Xin signed the agreement in Tianjin, China, for establishing the University of Technical and Vocational Education (UTVE) in Punjab. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Punjab School Education Minister Rana Mashood were also present on occasion.

According to the agreement, around nine degree courses would be offered at the UTVE in information technology, automobile, electronics, mechanical mechatronics, management science, advanced Chinese language, pedagogical training and 3D printing technology.

The agreement further stated that the TUTE would share its experience for the establishment and operations of the new university, including the curricula and discipline set-up, development of core courses, curricula development and revision, construction of laboratories and the training of trainers, with the expenses covered by TEVTA.

Speaking on occasion, Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that Shahbaz Sharif’s dream of the UTVE would become true with the establishment of the university. “Efforts of Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashood are also commendable in this regard,” he said. Irfan said that youth consisted of 60 percent of the population of Pakistan, and the establishment of the UTVE would provide skilled manpower to the CPEC.

As per the agreement, TEVTA will provide a building in Punjab, bear expenses for the operational aspects and train UTVE teachers in the TUTE in China when required. The TUTE will send Chinese experts/master trainers to Pakistan to train people here. TEVTA will also arrange trainings of mutually agreed number of trainees, who would be trained in China. It will also bear all expenses of teachers and students, including training fee, boarding, lodging, meals and international travelling. TEVTA will also bear all expenses of technical assistance offered by the TUTE as well as hiring of foreign consultants for technical assistance regarding establishment of the UTVE.

On the other side, the TUTE will provide technical assistance for the plan to purchase a state-of-the-art facility. It will also support design and planning of modern labs for all the technologies, provision of technical assistance to TEVTA teachers for modern curricula development and teaching learning resources (TLRs). The TUTE will also be responsible for arranging trainings to mutually agreed number of trainees and trainers from TEVTA.

Similarly, accreditation and evaluation for the programmes being run at the university will also be done by the TUTE. However, a team of experts will visit at the earliest time to assess the system in Punjab for developing a project proposal for establishing the UTVE.