The key factors driving Pakistan’s growing dependency on quality education are:
- Unskilled Workforce: By 2030 there will be an estimated 263m people living in Pakistan. Presently, it has the 10th largest workforce, however, 80% of Pakistan’s youth labour force has low levels of education and a poor skills base.
- Transformation from Agrarian to Industrialization: Pakistan is gradually transforming into an industrial society where the industrial sector constitutes 19% of the GDP. To decrease its dependency on imports, the ‘Make in Pakistan’ policy is being pursued actively by the government. Such transformation highly depends upon skilled workforce.
Opportunities in 2021 and beyond
Pakistan offers a wide range of opportunities for Swiss advanced educational institutions and areas for business partnerships and collaborations.
- Growing Hospitality Industry: With a growing population and the government’s focus on developing tourism to attract foreign tourists, this sector holds huge potential for educational institutions of Switzerland to train students from Pakistan in the fields of hotel management and culinary skills.
- Innovation: Pakistan ranks 107 in the Global Innovation Index. Switzerland, being the top innovation country, through its advanced educational institutions can help Pakistan improve its innovation talent.
- Artificial Intelligence: Switzerland being one of the market leaders in Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help Pakistan in the advanced usage of AI by imparting training and education on Pakistani scholars.
- Crippling Reliance on Imports: Pakistan’s economy is losing heavily owing to heavy reliance on imports. Pakistan is struggling to reduce its huge trade deficit and is pursuing actively a ‘Make in Pakistan’ Policy, however, it lacks knowledge and skills in improving its industrial base.
- Technical Training Centers: There exists a huge demand of technical training centers, dispending technical skills and training at par with the standards of Switzerland. Credible large industrial groups have been repeatedly showing their interest in setting up a modern technical training center in Pakistan in collaboration with Swiss technical training institutes.
- Growth in Large Scale Manufacturing (LSM): Presently, Pakistan has been maintaining double digit growth in the LSM. In order to sustain the momentum, Pakistan needs a skilled and foreign qualified workforce.
Examples of current initiatives by the government:
- CHF 4.5 million have been allocated by the government during the fiscal year 2021-22 for research scholarships to be undertaken abroad.
- Switzerland has also been offering Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships to Pakistani bright scholars to earn their PhD and Post Doctorate in public universities of Switzerland.
The Swiss higher education system is the second best in the world according to the Universitas 21 ranking. Swiss higher educational institutes with proven, advanced curriculum are encouraged to explore current opportunities in more detail and consider visiting the market.
