Pakistan

Overview

Santa Fe College hosted two delegations of higher education administrators from Pakistan as part of the Community College Administrator Program (CCAP) funded by the United States Department of State. Both CCAPs with Pakistan were administered by Florida State University and Santa Fe College. The first Pakistani delegation came to SF between October 22-November 3, 2017. The second delegation visited the college from April 16-27, 2018. Collectively, these two CCAPs allowed SF administrators, faculty and students to dialogue and share experiences with 32 Pakistani higher education leaders. CCAP program participants represented diverse public and private institutions in Pakistan, including the Punjab Higher Education Commission, the Sindh Board of Technical Education, the Punjab Vocational Technical Council, the Hunar Foundation and more.

Only about 7% of all 15 to 24-year-olds in Pakistan are enrolled in school, and less than 1% of people in this age group attend public vocational-technical schools. Most Pakistani laborers today have received only informal training. Less than 10% of all workers have benefitted from formal education and training. Meanwhile, the country has been challenged by high population growth, rapid urbanization, religious extremism and terrorism. Pakistan must train a more skilled work force and diversify its economy for its economy to grow and absorb the working-age youth population. In 2015, the government of Pakistan introduced a new National Vocational Qualifications Framework in order to improve and standardize technical-vocational education in the country. Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission also cited a new community college initiative as a critical component of its Vision 2025, a long-term strategic plan to improve and expand higher education in Pakistan. It is within this context that two CCAP for Pakistan were offered in 2017 and 2018.

The Community College Administrator Program (CCAP) is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by Florida State University and Santa Fe College.