PSDF to provide funds for skills training

Pre-qualified industries will employ 50% of the trained youth

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), in collaboration with the Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF), organised an awareness seminar on the pre-qualification of industries.

The main objective of pre-qualification is to ensure that the industries/establishments having adequate capacity to provide skills training are invited to submit technical and financial proposals for upcoming PSDF schemes.

Pre-qualified industries will be given funds for providing skills training to the unemployed youth of Punjab falling within the age bracket of 18 to 25 years. After receiving training, the participants will be able to find jobs in industries and earn a decent living.

Speaking at the seminar, PSDF Programme Development Head Zohaib Haq said the organisation was making efforts to shape the future and well-being of Punjab's poor and vulnerable youth by giving them access to skills training of highest standard so that they were able to find sustainable employment and income-generating opportunities.



"Numerous vocational and technical training institutes are providing training that is insufficient to meet needs of the industry," he said. "PSDF will provide funds to industries/establishments so that they could provide skills training as per their needs."



He added that pre-qualified industries would have to employ 50% of the trained youth. "Interested industries/establishments with at least three years of existence could apply for pre-qualification by September 10 this year," he said. Highlighting achievements of the PSDF, Haq said his organisation was functioning in 36 districts of Punjab and had so far provided skills training to 300,000 youth, including 96,000 females, in 250 trades.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2018.

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