MULTAN, March Ist: The Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF)'s Chief Executive Officer Jawad Khan said that Punjab Government was spending a huge amount of Rs.50 billion on the training of individuals in different trades so that they could get job in local market or abroad. He said that 4,00,000 youths including 40 percent females were being trained in different sectors during next five years and PSDF was working in 36 districts of Punjab province with foreign funding of $ 200 million .Now it was focusing on less developed areas like South Punjab. He was addressing the member of Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, representatives of NGOs, local entrepreneirs in MCCI on Thursday. Jawad Khan said that PSDF had already imparted training to 2,50,000 youths.Of them 1,00,000 belong to South Punjab. He said that we are exploring at least 50 leading industries in Multan for creating partnership across ten sectors where employers could actively lead skill training programme in the true spirit of partnership by sharing training costs and guaranteeing employment.He said that Youth of 18 to 29 year age having academic qualification of primary to higher secondary level can attain training in any registered industrial unit.Jawad Khan said that PSDF initiated its operations for the residents of four districts of southern Punjab i.e Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Muzaffargarh and Lodhran. Now, PSDF’s geographical coverage expanded to all the districts of Punjab: In these 36 districts, PSDF is pursuing its skills promotion efforts to achieve inclusive growth by focusing on employment intensive productive sectors.The Fund is providing resources to help private sector enterprises and partnerships develop and offer high quality vocational training courses. Over the next 5 years, we will be training over 400,000 youth across Punjab that will be employed in Pakistan and abroad.Through its multiple interventions, PSDF is also focusing on establishing a training market which responds to the training needs of individuals and various industrial sectors. Our funding and monitoring structures ensure responsiveness and quality of trainings from the private, public and not-for-profit training providers. It aims to encourage efficient use of existing capital investments and assets to promote skills development through partnerships and innovative delivery methods.Ali Akbar Bosan Chief Operating Officer also elaborated the training programme and said that PSDF successfully trained more than 111,000 individuals since its inception, out of which 44% are females and 56% males.Zuhaib Ahmed and other also explained the PSDF programme. In his welcome address Khawaja Muhammad Farooq vice President of Multan Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MCCI)said that PSDF was playing an important role in producing skilled Labour besides enhancing the capacity building of industries.“PSDF has developed a strong reputation for delivering skills programs guided by evidence on what works. We are now partnering with Generation, a world-renowned nonprofit, to incorporate proven international experience into our training programs to raise the productivity of firms across Punjab,” said Khawaja Farooq. Khawaja Muhammad Usman former President of MCCI said “We’re honored to be working with an organization as respected and innovative as PSDF to bring Pakistan at par with developed states for the first time.”Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) has joined us to address the challenges facing young people who are seeking to connect with the job market. PSDF will bring a proven, innovative model program for Pakistan.Kh.Usman said, “Successful nations pay great attention and importance to technical & vocational skills education. The Punjab Government is also passionate about creating opportunities for our youth to attain quality education as well as technical & vocational skills. Later Mirza Ali Ahmed a senior member of MCCI presented the crest of Multan Chamber to the guest.
