Policy Brief No. 12. Technical and Vocational Skill Acquisition and its Impact upon the Lives and Livelihoods of Poor Youth in Ghana, India, and Pakistan

Abstract

The research on which this policy brief is based explores skill acquisition and its impact upon the lives and livelihoods of disadvantaged young people in Ghana, India and Pakistan. It draws on new quantitative household surveys (Pakistan, India), new qualitative data (Ghana, Pakistan, India) and existing quantitative studies in all three countries. The three countries show different approaches to the provision of technical and vocational skills development (TVSD). This research examines the processes and pathways of skills acquisition available to poor communities and demonstrates the different labour market outcomes both within and between countries. It reviews the consequences of policy approaches adopted, and looks at the role of education in the acquisition and utilization of technical and vocational skills. It also argues that the presence of an enabling political, economic and social environment which supports schooling, training and livelihoods is critical to the realisation of both the acquisition and utilisation of skills