Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that the provincial government has fixed the target of making 2 million youth skilled during next three years. He said that a major part of the population of Pakistan comprises youth and the destiny of the country and the nation can be changed by empowering youth. He said that provision of resources for empowering youth is an investment for the future of the country.
The Chief Minister said that resources of billions of rupees have been provided earlier for this purpose and will do so in future as well. He said that concerned institutions will have to play an active role for paying attention to quality skill development in Punjab and they will have to give results. He said that the experiences and expertise of City and Guilds with regard to quality skill development and capacity-building of vocational training institutes in Punjab will be beneficial. Shahbaz Sharif directed that a steering committee be constituted for preparation of future roadmap regarding quality skill development with City and Guilds and added that the committee submit its final recommendations within next few days.
Talking to a delegation led by Regional Director City and Guilds for South Asia Mufti Hashim. Matters, Shahbaz discussed the skilled manpower and its demand in the province.
Shahbaz Sharif said that promotion of technical education is need of the hour for rapid development of the country. He said that future of the country is linked with technical education and Punjab government is paying special attention to development of skills in youth. He said that preparing quality skilled force according to the local and foreign requirements is need of the hour and vocational training institutions will have to do something for the uplift of skill development.
The Chief Minister said that Punjab government has made thousands of youth skillful through Skill Development Fund. He said that the scope of skill development programmes which were initiated in four districts of Punjab, have been extended to various districts. He said that a third party audit system has also been introduced for skill development. He said that equipping the youth with quality education is essential for taking Pakistan forward. He said that there is a need of harmonizing TEVTA, PVTC and Skill Development Company with ever-changing realities of today.
Shahbaz Sharif directed all concerned institutions to pay attention to the preparation of skilled manpower according to the local and foreign market needs. He said that making the syllabus of vocational training institutions according to the demands of the market is essential. He further said that the role of teachers regarding promotion of quality skill development is of great importance. Sharif sid that in addition to training teachers, keeping them abreast with modern knowledge was also vital.
The Chief Minister said that a lot of time has already been wasted and warned that no one will be allowed to do so anymore. He said that concerned departments will have to take immediate steps towards the right direction. He said that hard work will have to be done for ensuring achievement of future targets regarding skill development. He further remarked that all vocational training institutions will have to work effectively by leaving traditional methods and the syllabus of vocational training institutions will have to be modernized.
