Punjab govt to launch technical education plan in evening shifts

Punjab govt to launch technical education plan in evening shifts

LAHORE: Provincial Minister for Labour and Human Resource Raja Ashfaq Sarwar has said the government, under the Punjab Growth Strategy-2018, is planning to launch a technical education programme for the youth at the educational institutes in evening shifts. Revamping the existing curricula of skills’ training institutes enhancing the participation of private sector aims to improve the capacity-building and quality assurance of skilled graduates to ensure proper jobs in the industrial sector.

 

He expressed these views while presiding over a meeting of the Skill Development Steering Committee constituted by Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif. Chairman P&D Irfan Elahi, Chairman Tevta Irfan Qaiser Sheikh, secretaries of labour, schools education and agriculture departments, CO PSDF Ali Sarfraz, MD PVTC Sajid Naseer, representatives of Mckinsey and Company, World Bank and departments concerned attended the meeting.

 

The committee focused on the steps to conduct a supply-demand diagnosis to identify the key sectors and vocations for additional demand creating a targeted labour export schemes in the key vocations to target the GCC countries. Recommendations to strengthen the present plans of action to upgrade the Tvet of Punjab were discussed by all the stakeholders in the meeting.

 

Establishment of independent accreditation, examination and certification agency is also under consideration, the minister said. Developing a system integrator to enhance the coordination and share the best practices between the stakeholders, independent data collection and monitoring mechanism for policymaking were especially focused in the meeting. The consultants hired for this purpose will develop the methodology, assisting in creation and maintenance of integrated active MIS as repository for demand driven qualification, number of skilled labour required in industry either locally or globally and traceability of the trainees, Raja Ashfaq Sarwar added.

 

Establishment of centralised jobs’ placement body enhancing the participation of private sector was also discussed in the meeting. The meeting was informed that the Punjab government was planning to launch a comprehensive reform effort to ensure all the key Tevta courses to be updated by 2018 and engagement of industry would also be strengthened. A robust trace tracking mechanism is needed, therefore, a foolproof uniform system should be evolved by the technical institutions to reach the skilled graduates whenever needed, he concluded.