Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has unveiled a comprehensive plan to enhance youth employment and skill development in Punjab, targeting the training and job placement of 100,000 young individuals.
Key Initiatives:
- Overseas Employment: A strategic plan is underway to facilitate the placement of skilled manpower abroad, aiming to boost foreign remittances and provide global opportunities for the province’s youth.
- Skills on Wheels: In collaboration with the private sector, the ‘Skills on Wheels’ project will deliver mobile training units to remote areas, ensuring equitable access to skill development programs across Punjab.
- Call Centre Training: An initial cohort of 5,000 youths will receive specialized training in call centre operations. Upon completing a six-week program, participants can anticipate job placements with salaries around Rs 100,000 per month.
- Garment Training for Women: At the Garment Training Institute in the Quaid-i-Azam Business Park, 480 women will undergo training. The program offers a monthly stipend of Rs20,000, transportation facilities, and assured job placements in prominent textile groups.
- International IT Certification: Building on the success of certifying 4,000 youths, the initiative plans to expand, offering international IT certifications to an additional 10,000 participants.
- Hospitality Training: A six-month, tuition-free hospitality training program, developed in partnership with a British institution, will be introduced with guaranteed job placements for graduates.
- Support for Transgender Individuals: Training programs have been completed for 1,600 transgender persons in fields such as textiles, makeup artistry, and backstage production, each receiving a monthly stipend of Rs8,000.
- Digital Empowerment for Rural Women: A digital literacy initiative has attracted 27,000 applications from rural women, who will receive free desktop computers alongside training in English language and information technology.
An integrated dashboard for the Punjab Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Department is scheduled to be operational by mid-April, streamlining these initiatives and ensuring effective monitoring.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif emphasized the significance of these programs, stating, “Training and job market integration will include the youth in the journey of development. It will be possible to tread on the path of prosperity only by promoting skills among the talented youth. The skilled youth are the bright future of Pakistan.”
