Human resource

development in
Pakistan: evolution,
trends and challenges
Introduction
 In Pakistan, the concept of HRD is rooted in the overall human development of
the nation.
 HRD is at an evolving stage and mostly considered as national human
development.
 HRD in Pakistan can be defined as a policy for capacity building of individuals
to attain the goals of national manpower planning at the macro-level, and as a
training and development function of any human resource management
department at the micro-level.
 Since its establishment as an independent nation in 1947, Pakistan has been in
state of transition.
 Each transition brought excitement and perceived opportunities, but often
ended with pain and disappointments.
 As the sixth most populous country in the world with 187 million population
(around 60% under the age of 25), Pakistan has hopes to be one of the leading
countries for human capital in a few decades.
 The evolution of HRD in Pakistan:
The evolution of HRD in Pakistan in two phases:
1. 1960 to 1998
2. 1999 to the present
 The focus of HRD in the first phase was primarily on human development at
the national level.
 The second phase expands the focus to development in different industries
and economic sectors in Pakistan.
Phase I (1960–1998)
 The history of Pakistan is characterized by conflicts, wars and military
governments.
 human development was recognized as an important issue to be addressed,
but without much success.
 Pakistan has made little progress in key indicators of human development.
 The partition of Pakistan can be considered a turning point when the
development of human capital was seriously considered to fill out the vacuum
of the workforce in the public sector.
 The government considered human capital as the most valuable of all
capitals.
 As a result, many initiatives were undertaken to improve human capital in the
country, especially in science and technology fields.
The Pakistan Science Foundation(PSF)
 The Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF), a significant initiative, was created in
1973 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Science and Technology to
promote research and professional developments in the country.
 To this day, main function of PSF is to provide funding for research and
professional development projects.
 PSF is an apex body to promote HRD in the country.
5-year plan:
 Inspired by the Soviet Union, Pakistan, beginning in 1948, has created 5-year
plans to stimulate economic development, named Five-Year Plans for the
National Economy of Pakistan.
 Though most of the targets were not achieved due to government transitions
and periodic wars, these plans have helped to prioritize national efforts.
 In 1983, the sixth 5- year plan represented a shift from heavy industry and
defense to agriculture, health and education the first time that education was
specifically included as a national priority.
 As part of the national policy, different initiatives were taken at national and
international levels to improve the economic development of the country.
South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation:
 In 1985, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was
established.
 The heads of the SAARC member countries recognized HRD as one of the
means of realizing SAARC development objectives.
 In 1988, the member countries agreed to establish SAARC Human Resource
Development Centre (SHRDC) in Islamabad, Pakistan.
 The goal of this center is to develop knowledge and skills by undertaking
research, developing training programs and cooperating with member
countries on HRD-related issues, policies and strategies.
Soviet War
 During the Soviet War (1979–1989) in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the most
important ally of the US in the region, received aid from the US and initiated
many developmental projects.
 However, when the war ended, all aid and funded projects ended as well.
 This period was critical in the history of Pakistan because it had to reassess
its needs and redesign its policies.
 Though the development of human resources was challenging, it was
established as a long-term solution in Pakistan during this period of time.
UN & USAID:
 In the 1990s, the UN and the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) started many training and human development
programs in Pakistan.
 Later, USAID suspended its development programs in Pakistan because of the
country’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.
 UN programs to train local consultants in the areas of women development,
health and adult education continued.
 The economic situation of Pakistan turned more alarming when Pakistan
detonated five nuclear devices in 1998, and the funding for development of
human resources was significantly constrained.
Phase II (1999–the present)
 After the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York in 2001, the US
turned towards Pakistan again to seek support in the Afghan War.
 All sanctions were removed, and the US provided funding for different
developmental projects.
 As a result, Pakistan has emerged as one of the fastest growing economies in
Asia and experienced significant progress in almost all socio-economic areas.
 HRD has become an important part of the government's planning. In addition,
economic growth and developmental opportunities have led to the evolution
and growth of HRD in Pakistan.
HRD in public education
 Public education is the core component of HRD and the major producer of skilled human
resource in Pakistan.
 Between 1999 and 2008, primary education, vocational education and higher education
were reformed to include a core focus on developing human resources.
 The Higher Education Commission (HEC) was established as an autonomous body to improve
higher education in the country.
 The objective of HEC is to bring reforms in higher education, develop academic staff and
programs and promote research activities.
 Vocational education and training is another provider of HRD in Pakistan and has become
an important focus for education.
 Today, almost 3100 different types of public and private technical institutions are
operating in Pakistan to provide vocational education and training.
 These institutions offer different types of training programs to the different level of
learners.
 To coordinate the efforts of these training institutes, Technical Education and Vocational
Training Authority (TEVTA) is established to oversee technical education at provincial level.
HRD in the corporate sector
 The evolution of HRD in the corporate sector can be described in three dimensions:
1. government-initiated institutes and programmes
2. university-initiated professional development courses and programmes
3. corporations-initiated HRD initiatives.
 The government established the NPO to cater to the HRD needs of the corporate sector. It was established in
2001 and later incorporated as a non-profit organization under the Companies Ordinance (SAARC 2010). Its
main objective is to make manufacturing and service sectors more productive and globally competitive by
improving human capital skills and developing a knowledge-based society.
 In addition, the Punjab government has also started a 3-month internship programme for newly graduated
students.
 Many universities have started to include and expand administrative fields of study.
 HRD specialization courses have been added to academic programs, and most of the organizations have
renamed their training and development departments as HRD centers or have created new HRD departments.
 Corporate actors in Pakistan have also started to adopt HRD. Though it is not a universal phenomenon yet,
the growth of HRD is expanding. For example, Metro Hi- Tech, considered one of the top companies in
Pakistan, has developed a training and development department.
 The National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), a top national bank, has developed training and development programs
for existing and new employees
HRD growth from economic perspective
 History reveals that training and education of all types are usually the
products of social and economic conditions.
 The concepts of training and education have been viewed as identical,
overlapping or totally discrete, depending on prevailing social, political and
economic conditions.
 There is no doubt that HRD leads to institutional and national strengths, but it
is contingent to the amount of investment on HRD activities. Unfortunately,
the government of Pakistan invested negligibly in HRD activities.
 The benefits of HRD can only be achieved if implemented in a systematic
fashion, and this is the area that needs improvement in Pakistan.
 For instance, the government of Pakistan sponsors medical and engineering
programmes, but inadequacy in utilization of the graduates resulted in brain
drain. Most of the doctors and engineers leave Pakistan and settle in
advanced countries.
Role of technology in HRD growth
 The advancement in technology is one of the main factors contributing to the
growth of HRD activities.
 Due to advances in technology, work structures and processes have changed
and organizations restructured across the globe.
 Technology has pushed the organizations towards the need for new training
and development for existing and new employees. It has opened up avenues
for HRD research and practice to meet different organizational challenges,
including job turnover, job retention, job commitment, training and
development, talent management and performance management.
 Pakistan, as a developing country, continues to face shortage in highly skilled
technical human resources.
 To overcome this, government and private bodies collaborate.
 For instance, the Pakistan Software Export Board launched IT industry
apprenticeship programmes to meet the needs of this industry.
HRD and globalization
 Globalization is another factor that helps the field of HRD in Pakistan grow,
but not to that extent as in other countries like the US, China, India and
Malaysia.
 Unfortunately, Pakistan has yet to take advantage of the opportunities
created by globalization.
 The weak skill base and inability to integrate with world markets are among
the main reasons.
 However, much can be achieved with proper planning and with a focus on
HRD if the government took some emergency steps in this regard.
HRD in different political environments
 Pakistan has experienced an oscillation between military and democratic
governments over the years. During military rules, Pakistan got heavy foreign
aids for different development projects for a variety of reasons.
 As an ally in war against terror, Pakistan received many development grants
for projects like health and safety reforms, education reforms and rural
development.
 These grants have contributed to the growth of HRD research and practice in
Pakistan.
 Unfortunately, democratic governments have been unable to provide the
same levels of economic performance or investment in HRD.
 Today, Pakistan is facing critical challenges for its economy and HRD
initiatives, such as high levels of dependence on foreign remittances, lack of
employment opportunities, insufficient energy resources and a weak link
between the education system and the needs of the economic sector.
HRD in the non-profit sector
 In Pakistan, non-profit and non-governmental organizations constitute an
organized and a developed sector.
 It has been promoting HRD more than any other sector in Pakistan through
public–private partnerships in the areas of designing and delivering a
multitude of training programmes.
 Moreover, it provides support to set up health care centres, to address child
labour issues and to promote basic education in rural areas.
Trends
 The concept of HRD in Pakistan is still evolving. Training and development is the dominant
focus compared to other dimensions of HRD.
 Career development and organization development functions are initiated, but are still in
the early stages.
 Most HRD functions in Pakistan fall under a Planning and Development Department or a
general HR department in an organization.
 There is limited scope for HRD professionals in Pakistan. HRD is considered a well established
profession in many advanced countries with available job markets.
 University programmes are considered as major suppliers of HRD professionals and leaders in
the field. However, not a single HRD degree programme is offered in any university in
Pakistan.
 Professional associations play a significant role in any profession and help in networking and
knowledge sharing. In Pakistan, no significant HRD professional association exists.
 Some of the flagship efforts related to HRD by the Pakistani government includes the PSF,
the MoHRD, the TEVTA and the HEC of Pakistan. These efforts are believed to provide long-
term HRD structures that will help the country in economic, social and societal development.
Future challenges and hopes
 It is critical for any country’s development to have a wealth of human capital. Pakistan
needs to increase its cadre of intellectuals, researchers, consultants and practitioners
to form a community and a nurturing environment to grow in the field of HRD.
 The universities need to restructure their programmes to prepare HRD professionals for
the future. And the government should create and encourage the private sector to offer
new opportunities.
 Brain drain is a critical challenge for developing countries such as Pakistan. It has talent
and creativity, but lacks in the system to identify, develop, motivate and reward this
talent pool.
 In this era of technology, there are different ways to initiate, promote and share
innovative ideas and activities that can be better utilized to promote HRD. Although
some HRD activities, such as knowledge sharing, have been started by different
organizations, growth is very slow.
 There is a nexus between HRD, economic competitiveness and globalization.
Globalization brought a lot of opportunities for developing nations with a large human
capital base like Pakistan. Unfortunately, Pakistan could not avail itself of these
opportunities due to lack of proper policies and government attention.
Conclusion:
 Human resource development (HRD) is an ever-changing field.
 The concepts and the underlying principles of HRD may be similar throughout
the globe, but its practice differs due to contextual factors such as culture,
technology, resources and national policies.
 After analyzing HRD in corporate, non-profit, education and community
development settings, the important role of HRD for the social and economic
development of Pakistan.