PGJDC’s training centres help increase export of gems, jewellery

The Gems and Jewellery Training and Manufacturing Centres operating under the leadership of Pakistan Gems and Jewellery Development Company (PGJDC) has over the past five years trained 8,525 students through 571 training programmes in its five training centres.

The well-trained and skilled work force had a very significant role to play in value addition, value added exports and in achieving exports of USD 1.2 billion from approximately US $ 47 million in 2006-07 to US$ 1.2 billion, said Bakhtiar Khan, Chief Executive Officer of PGJDC in a statement issued here on Wednesday.

He added that students were trained in the field of gemstone mining, gemstone identification, gemstone processing, jewellery designing and manufacturing.

Bakhtiar informed about PGJDC’s endeavours for the development of gems and jewellery industry of the country from mine to market and to enhance its competitiveness internationally by facilitation, technology up-gradation, skill development, quality assurance and marketing/branding.

He further explained that the market dynamics all around the world were changing rapidly and in order to keep up with the international markets, the PGJDC was adopting the latest trends and techniques for marketing and promotion of Pakistani gems and jewellery products worldwide.

Apart from training, one of the major initiatives of the company was to organise Pakistan’s biggest gems and jewellery exhibition – Pakistan International Gems and Jewellery Exhibition (PIGJE) in June 2012 in Karachi. The event was visited by 40 international delegates.

He informed that the company was organising the second edition of PIGJE next month. The mega event will be held at a local hotel from September 26 to 29.

The four-day event will showcase Pakistani gems and jewellery products in all their vivacity for international dealers and will also provide international dealers with a platform to explore the potential of Pakistani market.