NAVTTC, QAB and NAC-TVS
The most completely specified regulatory regime in the Pakistani education sector, and the basis for the recommended beachhead. Everything below is published by NAVTTC.
The three stages
- Registration —
reg.navttc.gov.pk. Recognised training institute, listed on the Training Institute Search, eligible for NAVTTC programmes and funding. Five steps: account and profile (focal person, GPS location) → institute setup (infrastructure, faculty, equipment inventory) → documents (registration documents, NTN and proof of ownership) → fee payment (challan generation and receipt upload) → inspection and approval. - QAB affiliation — affiliate with one of 13 NAVTTC-approved Qualification Awarding Bodies for your province and trades. Without this you may not award a qualification at all.
- NAC-TVS accreditation — independent evaluation for the quality-assurance mark. Also register as a certified assessor via NSIS.
NAVTTC states that only certificates and diplomas issued by the approved organisations are considered valid for employment within and outside the country and for further education. NAVTTC runs a public certificate verification portal and actively publishes anti-fraud guidance about fake technical institutes. An institute’s entire reputation rides on one status it does not control — and that is the strongest switching cost found in this research.
The 13 approved QABs
Trade Testing Board Punjab Trade Testing Board Sindh Trade Testing Board KPK Trade Testing Board Balochistan AJK Board of Technical Education NAVTTC Direct Assessment (federal) Punjab Vocational Training Council (PVTC) FBISE TEVTA Punjab STEVTA Sindh KP TEVTA BTEVTA Balochistan TEVTA AJK / GB TEVTA
NAC-TVS accreditation — seven steps
- Application with paid challan, via
ams.nac.gov.pkor hard copy at NAVTTC HQ. - Desk scrutiny — registration certificates, NTN, faculty credentials, infrastructure details, curriculum compliance, fee verification. Incomplete applications are returned.
- Visit plan — initiated by the accreditation wing, approved by the Executive Director NAVTTC. Institutes are grouped for efficiency. Accreditor team assigned from relevant trades.
- Site visit and assessment — accreditors drawn from the Accreditors Pool of industry, chambers and TEVTAs. 10 performance areas, 1000 marks.
- TA&QEC review — TEVTAs, PVTC, PEC, HEC, industry chambers, SMEDA, private sector.
- NAC approval — National Accreditation Council: ministries, TEVTAs, PEC, HEC, industry, FPCCI. Outcome is Approved, Conditional or Deferred.
- Certificate — joins the official registry, may use the NAC-TVS mark. Valid three years; renewal must be submitted six months before expiry.
The NAC council includes PEC and HEC alongside TEVTAs, FPCCI and industry. The TVET accreditation authority and the university regulators already sit on the same council. In Pakistan specifically, one platform spanning trade centre to university is not a product hypothesis — it is the shape of the existing governance.
The 1000-mark rubric
| Performance area | Marks | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Governance & Management | 150 | 15% |
| Finances | 100 | 10% |
| Faculty & Staff | 100 | 10% |
| Physical Infrastructure | 100 | 10% |
| Teaching & Learning | 100 | 10% |
| Assessment & Evaluation | 100 | 10% |
| Job Market Linkage | 100 | 10% |
| Student Support Services | 100 | 10% |
| Continuous Quality Improvement | 100 | 10% |
| Competency-Based Training | 50 | 5% |
| Total | 1000 | |
| Minimum to pass | 700 | 70% |
What the sub-criteria actually are
This is the part that decides the product. Sample of the published sub-criteria, grouped by area:
Governance & Management (150)
Vision and mission publicly available and in the prospectus · annual objectives and action plan · organogram and job descriptions · IMC notifications, meeting minutes and follow-up actions · committee office orders and minutes · class and workshop timetables · Quality Management System Manual · complaint box and register
Finances (100)
Annual budget estimates for administrative, developmental and training-materials budgets · income and expenditure statements · bank statement · annual financial audit report · main store inventory and issue indent book · proof of funds allocated to CBT training materials
Faculty & Staff (100)
Trade-wise teachers list with CVs, CNIC and highest degree · trade-wise student/teacher ratio · trade-wise teaching load per teacher, theory and practical hours, plus contingency plan · training need analysis with nomination letters and certificates · induction procedure
Physical Infrastructure (100)
Map of the institute with classroom and lab sizes, equipment lists and library schedule · ICT resources · hostel rooms, capacity per room, total capacity · safety equipment, fire extinguishers, first-aid and health and safety regulations · solar and alternate energy, e-office automation
Teaching & Learning (100)
Weekly timetables for all trades · sample lesson plans with learning outcomes, technology-wise · CBT&A adaptation letters from TEVTAs or NAVTTC · monthly and mid-term results for all trades · students’ practical notebooks, timely checked by teachers · industrial visits · exhibition and skill-competition projects
Assessment & Evaluation (100)
Monthly assessment and mid-term results · invitation letters to industry representatives for sessional and terminal assessment · student project lists · question bank for all trades, technology-wise · transparent internal assessment evidence · pool of internal assessors and examiners per trade
Job Market Linkage (100)
Employers’ directory · meetings with industry · guest speakers · students on on-job training with nomination and acceptance letters · job placements with appointment letters · jointly developed programmes
Student Support Services (100)
Admission committee order · counselling committee, counselling forms and records · parent-teacher meeting records · rewards · financial support to needy students · job placement office
Continuous Quality Improvement (100)
Quality Management System Manual · Local Controller of Exam · self-assessment report with feedback from students, teachers, parents, employers and alumni · third-party analysis · moderation of weaknesses · improvement schemes · alumni in close contact, with job addresses
Competency-Based Training (50)
CBT&A programmes implemented with adaptation letters from TEVTAs, TTBs, BTEs and NAVTTC · certified CBT teachers with evidence · certified CBT assessors with evidence · workshop machinery and equipment list
Almost none of that is accreditation paperwork. It is the institute’s ordinary operation. A correctly-running ERP produces the evidence continuously, which turns a six-month pre-inspection scramble into a live dashboard against a known rubric.
Eligibility
| Criterion | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Registration | SECP / Societies Act |
| History | Minimum 2 years operational |
| Premises | Owned or leased minimum 5 years |
| Tax | Valid NTN and bank account in the institute’s name |
| Space | Minimum 15 sq.ft per student |
| Safety | Equipment, fire extinguishers, first aid, separate male/female washrooms |
| Faculty | Relevant certifications, minimum 3 years industry experience |
| Ratio | 1:20 theory, 1:10 practical |
| Academics | NAVTTC-approved curriculum, enrolment and attendance records, assessment system, graduate placement tracking |
Accreditation fees
| Institute size | Students | Fee | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | up to 100 | PKR 25,000 | Application processing, 1-day site visit, certificate issuance |
| Medium | 100–500 | PKR 50,000 | + priority processing |
| Large | 500+ | PKR 75,000 | + multi-trade assessment |
A detailed non-compliance report is issued, re-application is permitted after six months, and a partial fee waiver may be available for re-applications within one year.
The internal NQF scorecard
Separate from the accreditation assessment, the National Quality Framework is how NAVTTC scores and grades institutes internally. Out of 100 across seven areas:
| Area | Weight |
|---|---|
| Monitoring & Evaluation | 30 |
| International Accreditation | 20 |
| Registration | 20 |
| Accreditation | 10 |
| Affiliation | 10 |
| Employment outcomes | 5 |
| Final Assessment & Certification | 5 |
| Grades | A 85–100 Excellent · B 75–84 Very Good · C 65–74 Good · D 50–64 Satisfactory |
NVQF — the eight-level ladder
Introduced 2013. Each level carries Knowledge, Skills and Responsibility descriptors.
| Level | Qualification | Awarded by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Vocational Certificate — Semi-skilled | QAB |
| 2 | National Vocational Certificate — Skilled Worker | QAB |
| 3 | National Vocational Certificate — Highly Skilled | QAB |
| 4 | National Vocational Certificate — Technician | QAB |
| 5 | Diploma / DAE — Senior Technician | QAB |
| 6 | B.Tech — Bachelor Engineer | HEC |
| 7 | M.Tech — Master Senior Engineer | HEC |
| 8 | PhD — Doctorate Expert | HEC |
QAB awards levels 1–5. HEC awards levels 6–8. One continuous ladder from trade certificate to doctorate. The product that spans trade centre to university is not a commercial invention — it is how Pakistan has already organised its own qualifications.
Curriculum and trainer standards
- CBT&A curricula across 450+ trades, organised by NVQF level, with learning outcomes, modules, assessment criteria, and required tools, equipment and consumables.
- Conventional mode: DAE and short courses by duration.
- Trainer criteria per trade: duration, entry level, required qualification and alternative routes. Published example — Auto Electrician: 1-year diploma with 5 years’ experience, or BE with 2 years’ experience. Across 10 industry sectors.
- Standard Manual — Pakistan’s first standardised tool, equipment and consumable specifications for TVET workshop development, lab by lab, across six sectors: IT (IT lab, graphics and media, high-tech IT, IoT), construction (electrician, solar PV, HVACR, carpenter, mason, plumbing), manufacturing (machinist, CNC, mechatronics, welding, foundry), textile, services and hospitality.
Portals to integrate
reg.navttc.gov.pk — Institute registration ams.nac.gov.pk — NAC-TVS accreditation management nsis.navttc.gov.pk — Assessor registration and Hunarmand certificate verification nvqf.navttc.gov.pk — NVQF registry skillingpakistan.gov.pk — National skills programme oec.gov.pk — Overseas employment jobs.gov.pk — NEXT job portal reg.navttc.gov.pk — Training Institute Search