Skills gap persists as women find few opportunities

PESHAWAR: Women and girls in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa continue to face major barriers in accessing technical and vocational education, with the shortage of training centres, instructors and facilities particularly acute in the province’s merged districts, according to official figures, development practitioners and a UN Women Pakistan report cited in source material.

The issue persists despite the K-P government’s declaration of an education emergency. According to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority, there are about 16 women-only Government Technical and Vocational Centres across the province, compared with more than 35 for men. In the merged districts, enrolment in technical and vocational institutes stands at around 3,000 students, while female labour force participation is only 3 per cent.

Access remains especially restricted in remote areas

Qamar Naseem, an advocate for girls’ education, said girls in remote and merged districts are frequently left behind because accessible training centres are scarce, qualified female instructors are lacking, and safe transport remains unavailable.

"Expanding skills development opportunities for girls is essential for inclusive economic growth and women's empowerment. Investing in girls' skills education is both an educational priority and an economic necessity. Providing market-driven technical and digital skills to young women can help increase household incomes and contribute to community development in underserved areas"

A UN Women Pakistan report examining conditions for women and girls in Khyber, Kurram, Orakzai, North Waziristan and South Waziristan found very low educational attainment among women in the merged districts, along with limited mobility, very low participation in vocational training and restricted access to information technology. It also found that opportunities for technical and digital skills are far more limited for girls than for boys.

Officials and development workers cite cost and distance

Imran Takkar, coordinator of Group Development Pakistan in K-P, said girls in the merged districts have very limited access to technical and vocational education, which in turn narrows their chances of acquiring employable skills and entering the job market.

"Technical education can help girls become financially independent, support their families and contribute to the development of their communities. Providing more training facilities for girls is important for empowering women and creating better economic opportunities in the region," he added.

Takkar said expanding technical education for girls was important not only for women’s empowerment but also for poverty reduction, higher workforce participation and long-term socio-economic development in the merged districts.

Director Academic and Technical Skills Abid Alam said government technical colleges in K-P offer engineering and Diploma in Information Technology programmes for both male and female students. He identified the cost of training and the distance between institutions and students’ homes as key reasons behind low female participation in skills education.

"The government must train teachers in modern technologies and equip institutions with updated machinery and equipment. Public interest in skills development for women remains limited, with many women still confined to traditional trades such as tailoring. Women in neighbouring China actively participate in factories and industrial sectors"

Experts say greater investment in women’s technical and vocational education is necessary to improve employment prospects, support economic growth and expand women’s empowerment across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, especially in the merged districts where access remains severely constrained.