‘Skilled women can shape their destiny’

Punjab finance minister says women’s participation is key to country’s progress

LAHORE: Punjab Finance Minister Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha said women participation in the mainstream economy was crucial for the overall socioeconomic uplift of Pakistan.

“Almost half of the population of Pakistan consists of women so progress cannot be achieved without empowering them,” the minister said. She was addressing a workshop held in Lahore on Thursday. She said that Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) was one of the most effective ways to enable women to shape their future.

The workshop was organised by the Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with the TVET Sector Support Programme, which was funded by the European Union and the governments of Germany and Norway.



The TVET Sector Support Programme was implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, in close collaboration with the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), as well as provincial Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA).

The programme promoted women’s effective participation on all levels and advocated maximum opportunities within the TVET sector for better employment opportunities. The programme also undertook multiple interventions to enhance the use of enabling technology for accessing labour and economic markets through multiple measures.

A large number of businesswomen, leading industrialists, senior government officials and representatives of the civil society attended the workshop.



Speaking at the ceremony, Punjab Technical and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) Chairman Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that training under the latest trades was enabling women to have access to better learning and employment opportunities.



He said gender equality and uneven economic opportunities for women in the TVET sector were some of the challenges the country was currently facing. Improved participation in decision making and increased access to the training and learning opportunities may help in mitigating these challenges, he added.

Availability of relevant skills and trades through skill-building and competencies and employment prospects may instill a trend of better economic growth for women on the rural and urban level, he said.

Punjab Industries, Commerce and Investment Secretary Dr Mujtaba Paracha believed that the collaboration among chambers, business and industry associations and training providers could promote women participation in the overall economy of the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th, 2017.