NAVTTC trains 37,000 in first phase of programme

Second phase of ‘Hunarmand Pakistan’ to impart training to 50,000, says director

ISLAMABAD:

The National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) Executive Director Dr Nasir Khan said on Sunday that around 37,000 young people were imparted six-month courses in traditional and high-tech trades under first phase of 'Hunarmand Pakistan' (Skill for All) programme launched last year.

He said assessment of all the trainees was completed whereas the course-completion certificates were being issued at the moment. He added that over 20,000 youngsters from under-developed areas were trained in conventional trades such as welding, plumbing, stitching and cooking while around 17,000 were trained for high-tech trades such as artificial intelligence, robotics and cloud computing from across the country.

The executive director claimed that most of the trainees were recruited by reputable organisations prior to the end of their trainings. "This is a testament to the success of the ‘Kamyab Jawan Programme’, which aims to increase the number of country's skilled workforce," he added.

To a query, Khan said the 'Skill for All' project was rolled out at the start of 2020 under the ‘Kamyab Jawan Programme’ with Rs10 billion seed money.

The government launched the programme with an aim to train 50,000 each in high-tech and traditional trades in the current year.

He maintained that second phase of the Hunarmand Pakistan programme had also been launched with an aim to train more than 50 thousand youngsters in conventional and high-tech trades. He added that so far 170,000 applications were received under the current phase.

The executive director voiced hope that the classes under the second phase would kick off by second week of April if the government decides to reopen educational institutions.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th, 2021.