Trades and skills: ‘Govt focusing on promoting technical education’

Two-day skills show organised at Expo Centre

LAHORE:

Ministers Ayesha Ghaus Pasha and Chaudhry Muhammad Shafiq on Wednesday said the Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) was back on the right track.

The ministers made the remarks while speaking at the second day of the Nation Skills Show organised at the Expo Centre. They said this was so as the authority had been introducing short courses in accordance with industry needs. The ministers said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif attached great importance to training manpower. They said ensuring the provision of jobs to the young was a priority of the government. The ministers said the Tevta had devoted most of its development budget on imparting training to students rather than channelling it towards infrastructure.

Pasha and Shafiq said the government had allocated sufficient funds for the promotion of technical education and vocational training in this year’s budget. Pasha said economic growth could not be achieved without promoting technical education and vocational training. The ministers said the introduction of demand driven courses was the need of the hour. They said these would yield positive results. State Minister for Education Balighur Rehman said the federal government would establish vocational secondary schools nationwide to curb the dropout rate. He said those with just primary education would enrolled across the school to enable them to acquire vocational training while working towards obtaining matriculation qualifications. Rehman said all provincial governments had allocated sufficient funds for vocational training.  He said the Punjab government had been giving great attention to the promotion of technical education.

Tevta Chairperson Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said people from all walks of life in the thousands had flocked to the two-day show. He said the business community had lauded the authority’s work. Sheikh said the Tevta had collected over 3,500 resumes and job applications of students.

The Tevta chairperson also briefed those present on the promotion of technical education and the introduction of short courses over the past 18 months. He said the courses had been introduced on the demand of local and foreign enterprises. Sheikh said renowned industrialists had visited the Tevta’s stalls over the two-day show and praised the befitting manner in which it had been organised.  Prizes were distributed among winners of various competitions on the occasion.  National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) Executive Director Zulfiquar Cheema, Iranian, Arab, African, Malaysian and Russian diplomats, British Council Country Director Peter Upton, Economic Adviser to Chief Minister Ijaz Nabi, noted industrialists, Tevta officials and a large number of youngsters were present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st,  2016.