Providing job opportunities to deserving and skilled individuals emphasised

Islamabad:Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Senator Rubina Khalid Monday emphasised the need to connect deserving and skilled individuals with Pakistan’s industrial sector to provide training in various fields and create job opportunities.

She was speaking during a meeting with Director of Human and Social Development at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Sofia Shakil at BISP headquarters. The meeting focused on the importance of public-private partnerships for skill development and the international standardisation of training certifications for BISP’s eligible households, aligning them with market demands. Speaking on the occasion, Senator Rubina Khalid highlighted that state-of-the-art training institutes and industries in cities like Faisalabad, Sialkot, and Karachi can serve as excellent platforms for BISP beneficiaries.

She stated that BISP is establishing a specialised working group comprising key stakeholders to ensure skill training for beneficiaries under its Poverty Graduation Programme. She proposed that teams from BISP and ADB visit leading training institutions in Pakistan and organise a roundtable conference involving all stakeholders to discuss future strategies.

She also noted that BISP has active collaborations with organisations such as NAVTTC (National Vocational and Technical Training Commission), the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development), to enhance skill training opportunities.

Sharing her thoughts, Sofia Shakil appreciated BISP’s conditional and unconditional financial assistance programs and highlighted the significance of mutual cooperation at the provincial level to uplift marginalised segments of society. She also stressed the importance of holding regular meetings between the teams of BISP and ADB to ensure effective collaboration.