Formal certification for unskilled labour force

FAISALABAD: The national training bureau (NTB) will award formal recognition certificates to skilled men and women, who have obtained training from various unrecognised institutes and workshops.

According to an NTB spokesperson, the federal government fully realises that a large number of people received their training through unrecognised workshops instead of vocational and training institutes.

He said that thousand of trained workers who fall under the category of skilled workforce have no formal degree or certificate to prove their expertise. These workers face a lot of difficulties in securing employment in Pakistan as well as abroad he added.

Given this backdrop, the NTB has established and initiated a number of steps to help all informally trained persons. “Most poor Pakistanis are diligent workers but lack the formal qualification that would allow them to switch jobs or claim fair pay within their own industries.

Formal certification will allow them better job prospects,” he said. The spokesperson revealed that a comprehensive strategy had been formalised under the NTB programme and informally trained workers will be given the chance to appear in an examination and obtain an eligibility certificate, in recognition of their skills.

He added that the bureau will accept applications from informally trained workers in 43 fields, including textile fitters (spinning), turners, wielding ach and gas, auto body motor vehicle mechanic, plumbers, carpenters, tailors, beauty culture and hair dressers, steel fixers, shuttering, generator and UPS mechanics, gardeners, welders, civil surveyors, communication skills, secretariat occupation, front desk monitors, data entry operators, electricians, auto electricians, radio and TV mechanics, civil draftsmen, architectural draftsmen, mechanical draftsmen, refrigeration and air-condition mechanics, instrument mechanics, construction machinery mechanics, grader operators, industrial electronics, armature winders, tractor mechanics, computer automation, auto-CAD, quantity surveyors, PLC and CNG etc.

He concluded that candidates can apply for certificates by April 12 after which a formal examination schedule will be announced by NTB. Application forms for appearing in the examination can be downloaded from the department website: www.moln.gov.pk.

NTB was established by the ministry of labour and manpower in 1976.