ISLAMABAD:,,, Caretaker Federal Minister for Education Madad Ali Sindhi Madad Ali Sindhi has increased the quota for women from 33% to 40% in the Prime Minister’s Youth Skills Development Programme (PMYSDP).
He was chairing the First Meeting of the Steering Committee of Prime Minister’s Youth Skills Development Programme by NAVTTC (National Vocational and Technical Training Commission) here on Wednesday.
The Minister said women empowerment is a crucial milestone that needs to be prioritised if we want Pakistan to overcome the existing social challenges.
Similarly, he ordered that all differently abled students to be given seats irrespective of any quotas set. He also ordered NAVTTC to arrange accommodation for them in major cities in order to facilitate them.
Madad Ali Sindhi said all institutions that will be partnered with under the PMYSDP should be strictly scrutinised to meet the set standards.
He said NAVTTC’s work has been practical and has made a significant difference. He appreciated the ongoing projects of NAVTTC and its reach to under developed regions of the country.
Executive Director NAVTTV told Madad Ali Sindhi that the current Prime Minister’s Youth Skills Development Programme’s costs approximately Rs.10-billion. He said under this programme 161,000 youth have been trained so far.
Out of which 96,000 have received hi-tech training and 64,000 have received conventional training. He further briefed the Minister that this trained workforce has an employment rate of 71%.
The Minister was briefed that out of the total trained students 42,000 were women. The Minister was apprised of the provincial breakdown as being 67,000 from Punjab, 20,000 from KP, 38,000 from Sindh, 12,000 from Baluchistan and 22,000 from the federal capital.
Madad Ali Sindhi was further briefed about the components of the Prime Minister’s Youth Skills Development Programme. He was told that under the name of Hunar Ablagh, 16,000 students will be given training in High-Tech /IT Technologies.
Similarly, under the Jiddat Maharat, 25,000 youth will be trained in High-End Industrial Revolution Technologies and under Al-Kasib, 15,000 youth will be given training in conventional technologies and under Bayrun Rozgar, 15,000 students will be given training under the Global Skill Recognition of Pakistani expats and potential emigrants.
The Minister said that technical training can become the backbone of the economy of Pakistan. He said it is imperative that we harness the full potential of youth of Pakistan.
He appreciated the sheer scale of Prime Minister’s Youth Skills Development Programme and said that effective and practical implementation of this Programme can yield extremely positive results.