TVET-SCon: A Unified Catalyst Framework for Enhancing Youth Employability

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) plays a vital role in fostering a skilled workforce, crucial for sustainable development, poverty alleviation, and enhancing youth employability. However, the employability of TVET graduates remains a significant challenge, particularly in Pakistan, where issues such as low employability rates, skill shortages, and misalignment between industry needs and TVET outputs are prevalent. This qualitative study aims to address these challenges by introducing the TVET Skills Connect (TVET-SCon) framework—a unified catalyst designed to improve employability within the TVET ecosystem. Utilizing the Design Science Research methodology and Evolutionary Prototyping, the research involved comprehensive data collection through interviews, focus groups, and expert observations. Specifically, the study engaged 132 industry employers, 20 TVET teachers, and 326 trainees, alongside a detailed analysis of Pakistan’s TVET placement infrastructure and data systems. The research uncovers significant fragmentation within Pakistan's TVET placement system, revealing communication gaps, insufficient feedback channels, outdated job listings, and difficulties in aligning trainee skills with industry requirements. Data analysis further exposes a troubling mismatch where TVET programs supply 70\% more labor than the industry requires. The TVET-SCon framework addresses these issues by integrating stakeholders across the TVET ecosystem to enhance coordination and effectiveness. Its design not only tackles the specific problems identified but also offers a flexible model that can be adapted to similar contexts in other developing countries facing related challenges. The development and evaluation of this framework represent a significant step towards improving TVET outcomes and employability on a broader scale.