An Exploration into the Role of Technical and Vocational Education Regarding Poverty Reduction in Pakistan

Abstract

This study has been conducted to explore the role of the Technical & Vocational Education regarding the poverty reduction in Reduction. This was a qualitative follow-up study conducted to validate the results of a quantitative study that was conducted to investigate the effect of Technical & Vocational Education on Poverty Reduction. There were 16 graduates of Technical & Vocational Education who have been selected purposively for this study. They were selected from four Technical & Vocational institutes based in Punjab and were the graduates of 3-years DAE in Electrical & Mechanical programs and the graduates of 1-year Machinist and Computer Certification. A semi-structured interview protocol has been developed to know the graduates’ perspectives regarding poverty reduction. It comprised nine questions including one introductory question and one closing question. This instrument for the qualitative data collection also have been validated through the experts’ opinion. The collected data have been analyzed with the help of Thematic analysis. The qualitative results also showed that the participants reported the positive role of Technical and Vocational Education in Poverty reduction. Similarly, Technical and Vocational Education was reported to help fulfill the industry's needs.