Growth strategy: New targets set for skills development

LAHORE: The Health Department would train 15,000 lady health workers and 7,000 other health professionals until March 2016, participants of a steering committee decided on Thursday.

Labour and Human Resource Minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, Finance Minister Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Zakat and Ushr minister Malik Nadeem Kamran, Planning and Development Board Chairman Jehanzeb Khan, former Planning and Development Board chairman Irfan Elahi, Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) Chairperson Irfan Qaiser Sheikh, Labour Secretary Ali Sarfraz and Industries Secretary Naseem Sadiq attended the meeting. Targets were set in the meeting for the youth training under the Punjab Growth Strategy 2018. The meeting also reviewed progress made under the strategy.

Participants of the meeting decided that the Punjab Vocational and Training Centre (PVTC) would make use of labs at government schools and train 7,000 people in information technology until March 2016. The Livestock Department will train 30,000 villagers in vaccination and artificial insemination by June 2016. They decided that the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) would develop and implement an independent monitoring system to monitor progress of the departments concerned with regard to training purposes. An export cell will develop a database of graduates of vocational trades willing to work overseas.

The meeting also discussed the apprenticeship status for recruitment of 28,000 apprentices by the end of December 2015.

Cooperation of 5,000 industrial establishments will be sought for the hiring and implementation of the Apprenticeship Training Scheme. For the purpose, industries have been identified in Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Multan, Rawalpindi and Bhawalpur.

New courses

The TEVTA will start courses related to garments and hospitality industries with the assistance of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), said a press statement on Thursday.

It said the decision was taken during a meeting between a three-member delegation from the TIKA and Irfan Qaiser Sheikh.

The courses will be started at the newly-established building of the Government Institute of Emerging Technology, Township, Lahore.

Sheikh said that garments and hospitality sectors were among the key export-oriented industries in Pakistan. “The Turkish support for skill development will not only be beneficial for the industry but will also help strengthen the ties between the two countries,” he said.

Turkey will provide support for arranging the courses, provision of machinery, equipment, training of TEVTA trainers in Turkey, curriculum development, accreditation for garments and technical assistance for curricula, training of teachers and accreditation for hospitality and tourism businesses.

The delegation also visited the Government Institute of Emerging Technology.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2015.