LAHORE:Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) signed a contract for establishing, enhancing, and modifying On-The-Job-Training Centres (OJTCs) to create equitable employment in the textile and fashion industry for women and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
The initiative will establish 13 industry-based OJTCs and two specialised centres for PWDs, training 4,000 trainees in total, and equipping them with the skills necessary to prosper in the competitive textile and fashion sector, including leather goods, footwear, sports goods, and gloves manufacturing.
The project aimed at addressing structural challenges experienced by women and PWD, mainly in Punjab. The combined efforts will not only boost employability but also mark as an important step toward achieving gender equity and opportunities for PWDs.
This collaboration, in line with the vision of CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz, strived to create and transform income and employment opportunities for women and marginalised groups.
The two-year collaboration expected to attract Rs88 million investment, with an increased focus on technical and soft skills and the training centres will be established in major cities such as Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Multan.
Head of Project at GIZ M Ubaid stated that this has been one of its kind interventions, as we are eager to establish OJTCs for the first time in the country to empower women and create meaningful job opportunities for the growth of Pakistan’s economy.
PSDF CEO Ahmed Khan stated, “We are thrilled to partner with GIZ on this groundbreaking initiative to establish OJTCs in the textile and fashion industry. By focusing on both technical and soft skills, we aim to empower women and marginalized communities to drive economic growth and inclusion.”
Training workshop on ’right to information’
Punjab Municipal Development Fund Company organised a training workshop on “The Punjab Right to Information Act 2013” on Friday. More than 150 public information officers of local governments from across the province participated in the training workshop, which was organised with cooperation from the German development agency (GIZ).
Punjab Information Commissioner Shaukat Ali also participated in the training. Besides him, Justice (retd) Ali Akbar Qureshi, Additional Sessions Judge Zafra Iqbal, Chairman PMDFC, Pervez Iqbal and Board Member Shafi Arshad, while Sanam Irshad, Advisor Local Government, Asim Shafi, Project Manager, Haram Ajmal, Advisor Local Government also participated.
Addressing the participants, Justice (retd) Ali Akbar Qureshi said that the right to access to information is included in the basic human rights and Article 19 A of the Constitution of Pakistan also gives the right of access to information to all citizens. He further said that there are laws but there is a need to implement them effectively and as a public information officer it is your responsibility to protect the citizens’ right of access to information.
Chairman PMDFC Pervez Iqbal said that GIZ deserved congratulations for conducting training workshop on the important topic and more such trainings are needed to increase public awareness on Right to Information Act 2013.
Mahmood Masood Tamana briefed the participants about the objectives of the workshop. Director Awareness Nauman Nazir and Registrar Punjab Information Commission Qadir Ahmad gave important information to the participants on the Right to Information Act 2013.