Moalims

LAHORE:

Under the Punjab Growth Strategy 2018, the government is planning to launch short technical courses to impart technical education to youth, Minister for Labour and Human Rights Raja Ashfaq Sarwar said on Monday.

He was presiding over a steering committee meeting on promoting technical education in the province.

Minister for Zakat and Ushr Malik Nadeem Kamran, Planning and Development Chairman Irfan Elahi, Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) Chairman Irfan Qaiser Sheikh, Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) Chief Operating Officer Ali Sarfraz, Punjab Vocational Training Council (PVTC) Managing Director Sajid Naseer, Labour Additional Secretary Syed Mubasher Hussain, representatives of Mckinsey and Company and the World Bank attended the meeting.

“Training at government schools in evening shifts is being introduced in coordination with the PVTC. Revamping the curricula of skills training institutes, enhancing participation of private sector to improve capacity-building and quality assurance is also under consideration,” Sarwar said. The meeting reviewed the steps to identify key sectors for exporting manpower to Gulf countries.

“Quality assurance has been introduced at the technical training institutes. We also want to ensure job-placement for all graduates. The PVTC, the PSDF and the TEVTA have taken steps to boost capacity and are on track to meet goals for the next six months under the short-term courses programme,” he said. He said that performance-based funding for vocational education had been implemented. “The PVTC is also considering a pilot project for imparting IT skills among the youth,” he said.

The meeting was informed that Punjab government had launched a comprehensive reform effort to ensure that key TEVTA courses were updated by 2018.

Separately, the TEVTA signed an agreement with the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) on Monday to offer a short course in meat technology. The three-month course will be started at the UVAS, main campus. An agreement in this regard was signed by TEVTA Chairperson Irfan Qaiser Sheikh and UVAS Vice Chancellor Dr Talat Naseer Pasha at TEVTA Secretariat.

TEVTA Chief Operating Officer Jawad Ahmad Qureshi, Meat Technology Head of Department Dr Muhammad Hayat Jaspal, TEVTA officers Abdul Qayyum, Azhar Iqbal Shad, Akhtar Abbas Bharwana, Waseem Baig, Mustafa Kamal Pasha, Haroon Naseer, Muhammad Usman Ali, Ayesha Qazi, Sarfraz Anwar and others were also present.

Sheikh said that the joint venture would increase employment opportunities for students with better wages. He said that two groups of 30 students each would be trained in the morning and evening shifts. “The existing curricula available at TEVTA will be implemented in consultation with UVAS. The Trade Testing Board (TTB) will conduct the examination of all the students enrolled in the course and will issue the certificate to all successful candidates,” he said.

UVAS Vice Chancellor Dr Talat Naseer Pasha said that the teaching staff the programme would be provided by UVAS.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8th, 2015