Jobs on the go: Youth programme to award 50,000 internships

Chairperson says six initiatives catering to socioeconomic empowerment underway

ISLAMABAD: The government is all set to start a new one-year internship programme for as many as 50,000 graduates with 16 years of education.

Member of the National Assembly and chairperson for the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme Leila Khan shared details of the initiative, which is among six new youth programmes.

She said six initiatives are underway, catering to economic and social empowerment, cashing in on opportunities with small loans, free laptop schemes, and other programmes.

On the internship initiative, she explained that they will induct 25,000 fresh graduates into the programme. “The purpose is to inject young blood in the job market for up to one year… to hget experience, with a Rs12,000 stipend,” she remarked.

Khan said they were in contact with the government and the private sector, unlike the previous internship scheme. “By doing so, they will not only get the skills and know-how of their field, but could also be hired by the organisations,” she said, adding that if things go well with the Ministry of Finance, they would launch the programme before June.

“I want [the interns] to have jobs after one year,” she said.

The PM appointed Khan as the youth programme’s chairperson in December last year, following controversy over the appointment of her predecessor.

The important aspect of this specific programme, she believed, was the inclusion of madressa students in this programme, which would give them skills and help them become part of mainstream society, which is also the rationale of the National Action Plan for youth.

On the Skills Development Programme, she said they are planning to train 25,000 young men and women for six months with a Rs2,000 stipend, which will be executed by the Ministry of Federal Education and Federal Education along with National Vocational and Technical Training Commission. “The six months course will start with programmes in soft trades such as dairy farming, masonry, stitching, and beauty parlor work,” she said.

Leila said business loans will also be given to those who complete the courses. “The National Bank of Pakistan has already contacted about 17,000 students who have completed their courses and asked if they wanted to set up their own businesses.”

She also mentioned that the Youth Business Loan Scheme was not only for unemployed youth, but also those looking to establish or extend their business.

The age limit is 21-45, while 50 per cent of the loans will be given to women borrowers in the scheme of loan up to Rs2 million from the allocated budget of Rs5 billion. “So far with the help of 25 partner organisations, Rs620 million have been distributed in 36 districts and 145 union councils across the country.”

Leila was of the view that the government has facilitated people who are reluctant to start businesses through the PM’s Interest Free Loan Scheme. The programme aims to cater to 50,000 youth with its microfinance facility. “Currently, over 30,000 people have benefited from this programme, 58 per cent of whom are women,” she said, adding that the recovery rate has been 100 per cent, despite the difficult situation in Balochistan and Fata.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2015.