Industrialists vow to support skilled workforce

Say TEVTA performance is outstanding and other provinces should also follow it

LAHORE: Industrialists vowed to support Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) in producing skilled labour force as per their demand and need.

Around 20 top industrialists and businessmen of Pakistan called upon TEVTA Chairman Irfan Qaiser Sheikh on Friday at TEVTA Secretariat.

Industrialists said that TEVTA's performance was outstanding and other provinces should also follow that how the authority provided thousands of youngsters with up-to-date technical and vocational skills.

Speaking on the occasion, Sheikh demanded industrialists provide the authority's graduates with at least Rs25,000 a month salary. He said TEVTA was providing a skilled labour force to industries. He went on to say that three years ago, when he took charge as the chairman, he decided to invest Rs2,000 million of the developmental budget on training the youth.

Sheikh said that before him, this amount was being spent on the construction of new buildings, but he started several market need-based short courses, which could provide immediate job opportunities to youth. Besides, Rs1,000 per student stipend was also provided to the students enrolled in these courses.

He said that after one year, there was an amount of Rs800 million left behind so we decided to provide interest-free loans with the help of Akhuwat Foundation with this amount.

He also informed industrialists that the authority did not rely on industry for provision of the job for its graduates, therefore, it started courses in other fields, including information technology (IT), Chinese and English Language and personal grooming, driving, call centre and hospitality. He said that space was shrinking in the industrial sector which was the reason behind TEVTA's decision to provide youngsters new horizons.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2018.