Strategy formulated to hone workers skills: labour minister

Other ministers emphasise need of enhancing quality skill development

LAHORE: Labour Minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar said on Wednesday that the Short-term Development Strategy 2018 to hone workers’ skills had been formulated.

The minister made the remarks at a meeting of a committee constituted by the Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to realise the aim of establishing a workforce consisting of two million skilled workers over the next three years. He said the strategy would be implemented as soon as it had been approved by Sharif.  The minister said the Punjab Vocational Training Council and the Punjab Skills Development Fund had already concluded deals with major players in connecting with the induction of skilled workers. He said curriculum in educational institutions would also be revamped in accordance with latest trends.

Sarwar stressed the need to formulate a coordination body to oversee project management, monitoring and evaluation, research and innovation together with building capacity. The finance and Zakat and Ushr ministers emphasised the importance of enhancing quality skill development to guarantee placement of workers. P&D Chairman Irfan Elahi directed all concerned departments to formulate key performance indicators in connection with the strategy with a centralised database. TEVTA Chairman Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said the authority would double its capacity and revamp assessment standards to cement employment prospects in accordance with market needs.

Those present on the occasion discussed ways of training 15,000 thousand lady health workers, 7,000 health professionals, 7,000 people in the IT sector and the conclusion and execution of 20 MoUs with regard to placement of workers in Pakistan and abroad.  They also reviewed progress on the introduction of an autonomous monitoring system containing a database of all skilled workers willing to go abroad. . Those present also suggested the establishment of a vocational coordination cell to oversee the scheme’s province-wide service delivery.

They also reviewed various ways of establishing a diagnostic to highlight pivotal sectors in connection with the formulation of dedicated labour export schemes to attract the attention of GCC member states. Those present also presented recommendations regarding revamping the Tevta, the establishment of a centralised placement body and ways of enhancing public-private partnerships. The committee members were told that the government had been striving to revamp key Tevta courses by 2018.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2015.