Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has said that Punjab government has fixed the target of making 20 lakh youth skillful 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 benefited. Shehbaz Sharif directed to constitute a steering committee for preparing future roadmap regarding quality skill development with City and Guilds and added that the committee will submit its final recommendations within next few days.
He expressed these views while talking to a delegation led by Regional Director City and Guilds for South Asia Mufti Hashim, here today. Matters relating to preparation of quality skilled manpower and its demand were discussed during the meeting.
Shehbaz 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, that is why, Punjab government is paying special attention to skill development. 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 programme, started in four districts of Punjab, has 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 modern demands. Shehbaz Sharif directed that all concerned institutions should 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 needs and modern demands of the market is essential. He said that the role of teachers regarding promotion of quality skill development is of great importance and besides training of the teachers, keeping them abreast with modern knowledge is also vital. The Chief Minister said that time has already been wasted and warned that no one will be allowed to waste time further. He said that concerned departments will have to take immediate steps towards right direction. He said that hard work will have to be done for ensuring achievement of future targets regarding skill development. He said that all vocational training institutions will have to march forward effectively by leaving traditional methods and the syllabus of vocational training institutions will have to be modernized. Executive Director Skills International and representative of City and Guilds Pakistan Danesh Abhyi Wickarma, Country Manager Asad Warriach and other officials were present during the meeting. Provincial Ministers Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, Chaudhry Muhammad Shafique, Dr. Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Chief Secretary, Chairman Planning & Development, concerned secretaries, Chairman TEVTA, Chairman PVTC and concerned authorities were also present on the occasion.
