Mian Rashid Asghar
Gujranwala: GCCI Gujranwala President Mian Amir Aziz, SVP Noshad Ahmad, VP Irfaan Yaqoob Butt have stressed on the dire need of launching special vocational training programs all over the country which is the back bone in accelerating as well as promoting economic environs for sack of elimination of unemployment
“Educated force especially professional degree holders are the real assets for economic development and these youth must be given training in need based sectors”, they said adding that Chamber of Commerce & Industry with its key role will have to promote the identification of those sectors to the govt., in which skilled manpower is required so that the trained workforce could immediately be absorbed in the required industry.
Pointing out the objectives of PSDP, President Mian Amir said, “It is to provide vocational training in collaboration with industrial sector so that jobs could be ensured to the maximum trainees to reduce unemployment.
“First of all, feasibility report from all over the industrial Sectors should be evaluated and assessed by the govt to provide additional fund if any viable project is floated to accommodate the youth in positive and productive activities” , SVP Noshad said.
It is the need of time to provide trained manpower for the up gradation of existing industrial units in addition to helping them to switch over to the new and hi-tech technologies. President further elaborated that, the training to the 90 percent dropped out girls and boys who fail to continue their education after matriculation have also the capability to get adjustment after due training and every student out of school should be taken into the network of vocational training but the number of trainee are very low as compared to the population explosion in Punjab province.
They appreciated the role of PSDP saying that under this scheme training would be imparted to regular students of 50 selected higher secondary schools of Punjab. Out of these 18 schools are from Lahore while remaining would be picked up from Faisalabad and Sialkot. A majority of students they said were quite unaware of vocational skills but they want to get it for the purpose of getting an immediate job and a large number of students are willing to join ICT, textile, automotive, electronics, hoteling & restaurant, Irfaan Butt expressed.
Highlighting the women empowerment, President Mian Amir said that statistics reveal that only 22 percent women in Pakistan are directly participating in the economic activity. He said that we cannot achieve the growth rate of 5 to 6 percent without increasing the ratio of female up to 35 to 40 percent. PSDP will have to boost & launch special vocational training program for the female gender, and without equipping our workforce with latest skills we cannot improve the quality of our exportable surplus.