Fifteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

In Pakistan, as there is a disconnect between education received in schools and the skill set needed in real life, we aimed to explore the needs of local community for making life and job skills training available in the public sector secondary schools. Purpose of the study was to identify the required skill set for youth in rural and urban Punjab Province of Pakistan and to develop an implementation strategy for the inclusion of the identified skill set in secondary school curriculum. Major research questions were: i. Which are the major trades, crafts, industries, and fields of work in different parts of Punjab? ii. Which skill set is needed to be developed in youth to work in the future job markets emerging in the CPEC scenario? iii. How to include the identified skill set preparation within secondary schools curriculum? The methodology was qualitative and included document analysis; field survey and focus group discussions. Participants included representatives of local industry, technical and vocational education, council of arts and craft and secondary school teachers. The study was conducted in one district of Punjab and it helped in identifying local crafts, industrial skills, occupations and small business which were prioritized by secondary school teachers. We recommend changes in pedagogy to be practical; inclusion of field visits, e-learning, industry driven projects, digital or video inputs, and craftspeople involvement.