‘10m jobs to be created in five years’

LAHORE: Secretary Industries, Commerce and Investment, Punjab Nadeem-ur-Rehman has said the Punjab government has set a challenging target of creation of 10 million jobs nationwide in the coming five years along with a special focus on skill training.

Addressing a Punjab Skills Summit 2018, held here at a hotel Wednesday, he said, “We will establish at least 10 technical universities in Pakistan to provide skills to our youths. In Centre and in the provinces we will double the size of existing skill development and vocational training programmes”.

The Summit was organised by the Department of Industries, Commerce and Investment in collaboration with TEVT Sector Support Programme, which is funded by the European Union and the governments of Germany and Norway.

The secretary said the Punjab government highly values the contributions of European Union, Germany, Norway, and other development partners to reform and uplift the system of technical education and vocational training.

Speakers at the Summit underlined the importance of technical education and vocational training (TEVT), urging both the government and the industry to join hands for producing skilled workforce and promote youth employment.

The secretary said that the existing potential of our country’s sustainable economic and social development is based on energy resources, good conditions for agriculture and its geographical relevance in trade routes for the bordering states. Unfortunately, he said, this potential has not been sufficiently exploited.

“Our government wants to utilise this potential of socio-economic development to its fullest, which cannot be materialised without reforming the TEVT system in the country,” the secretary opined.

Ms Anne Marchal, Deputy Ambassador of the European Union, said that it is important to appreciate the government’s commitment to create 10 million job opportunities for the Pakistani youths and equip them with technical skills through opting TEVT policy. She said that this policy would not only produce highly skilled labour equipped with qualitative technical education but to boost the economy as well.

She stated that EU is actively involved in the promotion of TEVT sector in Pakistan, the second phase of TVET sector support programme is to assist in improving the governance across the country, quality technical education and strengthen public private sector engagement.