Impact of Vocational Training on Employment and Earnings of Federally Administered Tribal Area's Youth in Pakistan

Abstract: Federally Admininstered Tribal Areas Development Authority (FATA-DA) imparted vocational training to more than fifty two thousands individual in seventy different potential technologies/trades. This study was conducted with the aim to evaluate the socio-economic impact of those training in FATA. Survey was initiated in the year 2018 and primary data was collected from 400 respondents selected through a disproportionate stratified random sampling procedure. Both descriptive statistics and regression analysis were undertaken for the analysis of data. The findings revealed that FATA-DA training has made a substantial contribution to young people's socioeconomic development. After completing FATA-DA training, youth employment increased by 1.94 times and monthly earnings by 1.63 times. It was also shown that the respondents' age had a substantial positive link with their employment and wages. According to the study, respondents who had some work experience prior to Institute Based Training (IBT) were able to get jobs faster and earn more money than those who did not. The study also identified certain programme quality shortcomings, such as a lack of effective career counselling for trainees, a lack of proper linkage of IBT with the relevant sector, a lack of post-training financial support, and a lack of internship opportunities. This study was the first-ever evaluation study of the vocational training program of FATA-DA. The study suggests that policymakers should concentrate on the quality parameters of any vocational training programme during implementation in order to achieve the best possible results. Abstract: Federally Admininstered Tribal Areas Development Authority (FATA-DA) imparted vocational training to more than fifty two thousands individual in seventy different potential technologies/trades. This study was conducted with the aim to evaluate the socio-economic impact of those training in FATA. Survey was initiated in the year 2018 and primary data was collected from 400 respondents selected through a disproportionate stratified random sampling procedure. Both descriptive statistics and regression analysis were undertaken for the analysis of data. The findings revealed that FATA-DA training has made a substantial contribution to young people's socioeconomic development. After completing FATA-DA training, youth employment increased by 1.94 times and monthly earnings by 1.63 times. It was also shown that the respondents' age had a substantial positive link with their employment and wages. According to the study, respondents who had some work experience prior to Institute Based Training (IBT) were able to get jobs faster and earn more money than those who did not. The study also identified certain programme quality shortcomings, such as a lack of effective career counselling for trainees, a lack of proper linkage of IBT with the relevant sector, a lack of post-training financial support, and a lack of internship opportunities. This study was the first-ever evaluation study of the vocational training program of FATA-DA. The study suggests that policymakers should concentrate on the quality parameters of any vocational training programme during implementation in order to achieve the best possible results