Three-day teachers’ training on Safe Migration for Decent Work in the GCC countries

LAHORE (ILO News): A three days teachers’ training on the Safe Migration for Decent Work in the GCC Countries was completed today (23 September 2016). The training built the capacity of 17 participants from public and private technical and vocational institutions and authorities from all over Pakistan. The training was implemented by the International Labour Organization under its EU funded South Asia Labour Migration Governance Project in collaboration with the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC).

In his opening speech, Mr Ishaq, a representative of the National Vocational Technical Training Commission, said that NAVTTC is implementing a reform programme and the introduction of a competency based training (CBT) approach is key to the reform. The CBT approach not only improve the quality of the training but also help to provide a competitive skilled workforce for employment in Pakistan and abroad. He said: “migration is very important for our country and plays a key role in the development, but unfortunately migrants face lot of abuse and exploitation at all stages of migration. To equip them with knowledge and skills so that they can make informed decisions and protect themselves, the NAVTTC has developed this course for students in technical and vocational institutions. The course follows a CBT approach”. He thanked the ILO for their support in the development of this course and asked the participants to actively contribute to the training.

Mr Saad Gillani, Senior Programme Officer, International Labour Organization, welcomed all participants and said “Labour migration is often presented as a triple-win – a win for destination countries that can enjoy a level of economic growth that would be impossible without foreign labour; a win for countries of origin because it reduces unemployment and brings in remittances and skills; and a win for migrants who can increase their income and escape poverty. Unfortunately, this triple-win does not deliver benefits equally to all three parties. Migrant workers typically are short-changed”. The main reason behind this is the lack of information on safe migration among migrant workers and their families, this course address this issue and will prepare students at the very early stage so that whenever they decide to go abroad for work they decide wisely and get maximum benefits from migration.

In preparation to this training, the NAVTTC, in collaboration with the ILO, developed a National Vocational Qualification Framework level 2 course on “Safe Migration for Decent Work in the GCC Countries” for students in technical and vocational institutions. The course has been developed using competency based training approach and registered under Pakistan National Vocational Qualification Framework (PNVQF). It carries a learning volume of 18 credits and consists of five learning modules, covering whole migration cycle from pre-decision to return and reintegration.

The course is developed on the principles of competency-based training which enables a learner to acquire competencies required to smoothly go through the migration process by fulfilling the requirements at each step. The course has the following objectives:

• Provide sufficient and realistic information to intending migrant workers on employment and Living conditions abroad, labour laws and rights in countries of origin and destination and socio economic costs of migration.
• Protect the intending migrant workers from fraud and breach of terms of contractual agreement.
• Orient the intending migrants on the roles and responsibilities on different authorities and organizations dealing emigration process.
• Develop life skills including social mannerism and ethics, managing finances, basic communication skills in Arabic and English to enable them for smooth integration and adjustment in the destination country.
• Familiarize the migrant workers on socio-cultural and geographical conditions of GCC countries.
• Enable the emigrant workers to think and opt for better options for return and reintegration.
• Acquaint the learners on occupational safety and health precautions and other related issues.

There is no specific requirement for entry to the training for National Vocational Certificate Level 2 for in Labour Migration (Migrant Worker to GCC). This training course is open for formal, non-formal and informal learning programmes and pathways.