LAHORE: The Punjab government has unveiled a comprehensive legislative framework to overhaul the province’s fragmented technical and vocational education landscape, proposing the creation of a centralised Punjab Skills Development and Entrepreneurship Authority with sweeping powers over training, certification, regulation and industry linkages.
The proposed Punjab Skills Development and Entrepreneurship Authority Act 2026, initially approved by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, seeks to unify policy direction, institutional governance and operational delivery across the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector, while introducing strict regulatory oversight of both public and private training providers.
The draft law provides that the authority will be established through a government notification as a corporate body headquartered in Lahore, with powers to establish offices within Punjab and abroad, enter into contracts, acquire and dispose of property with prior approval, and initiate or defend legal proceedings in its name. The act will extend across Punjab and come into force immediately upon enactment.
At the heart of the legislation is a comprehensive restructuring of existing institutions into specialised agencies. The Punjab Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority will transition into the Punjab Technical Education and Vocational Training Agency, the Punjab Skills Development Authority into the Punjab Skills Development Agency, and the functions of the Punjab Board of Technical Education and Trade Testing Board into a unified Punjab Skills Assessment Agency. These agencies will continue operations in their respective domains but under the overarching control of the authority.
