On 7th March 2024, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) organized a seminar on the Mid-term Training Needs Assessment Report on Female Garment Stitching in Punjab (Lahore and Kasur) to share the results of the Training Needs Assessment (TNA) conducted by the SKY project and how the results of the initial TNA findings have been incorporated into new curriculums by the TVET consultant team.

The mode of the meeting was hybrid. The SKY teams, the TVET consultants, and the JICA headquarters staff participated online, while other stakeholders, including the JICA Pakistan staff, Punjab Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (P-TEVTA), Punjab Vocational Training Council (PVTC), and HomeNet Pakistan, joined in person at P-TEVTA premises.

In the meeting, the SKY team delivered a presentation on the ultimate results of the TNA, including key findings, policy implications, and suggestions for stakeholders. The discussions revolved around comparing the skills of home-based and factory workers, identifying determinants of practical skills among workers, and analyzing skills gaps based on the curriculum analysis. For the policy implications, we highlighted the importance of contextualized soft skills development, provided tailored recommendations for practical skills based on company-specific conditions, and addressed the need for positive work environment cultivation through gender equality and supportive managerial perceptions of women.

Stakeholders expressed satisfaction with the presented findings and emphasized the importance of integrating insights regarding contextualized soft skills development and perceptions of managerial staff into future workforce development strategies. They also expressed keen interest in employing the SKY standardized skills assessment module for future projects.

Following the presentation by the SKY team, the TVET consultant team introduced a new curriculum titled “Garment Stitching and Entrepreneurship,” which was based on the findings of our initial TNA reports. A discussion was raised regarding the applicability of the curriculum to future home-based workers. In response, we proposed that the curriculum, particularly in the entrepreneurship section, should emphasize cultivating the personality trait of ‘openness to learn new things’ as the entrepreneurial nature was often observed among home-based workers.

The seminar was concluded with fruitful discussions and collaborative efforts towards enhancing the skills and productivity of female garment workers in Punjab, Pakistan. Details of the findings presented in the seminar will be presented in the forthcoming country report. Please stay tuned for further insights and recommendations.