Skills development: TEVTA to train 2,365 youngsters in employable skills

National Vocational and Technical Training Commission will incur the cost of training

LAHORE: The Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) will train 2,365 youngsters from across the province in 27 vocational skills under the Prime Minister’s Youth Skill Development Programme (phase-III).

The cost of the training would be incurred by the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC).

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) had been signed between the NAVTTC and the TEVTA. It added that the NAVTTC would pay Rs95 million to the TEVTA to undertake the trainings.

The programme is aimed at expanding the pool of trained manpower for domestic and foreign industry and at reducing poverty in the country.

Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony, TEVTA Chairperson Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said six-month courses would be arranged under the programme at 32 TEVTA institutes across the province.

He said courses would be offered in 27 demand-driven vocational skills.  “Admission process has started and classes will commence from May 18,” he said. Sheikh said no fees would be charged from the trainees. Instead, he said, the authority would pay each of them a stipend of Rs3,000 per month for their participation in the course. Toolkit would also be provided to the trainees, he said.

He said that besides holding workshops for trainees the authority would also arrange appropriate training for the faculty.

He said monitoring and evaluation of the programme would be undertaken by the NAVTTC.

“The provision of employable skills will enable the youth will to gain financial independence. The effort will also help reduce the shortage of trained manpower in the labour market,” he said.

The MoU was signed by Sheikh and NAVTTC Regional Director Haji Muhammad Dogar. TEVTA Chief Operating Officer Jawad Ahmed Qureshi was also present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2016.