LAHORE: The United States Agency for International Aid’s (USAID) Deputy Mission Director Clay Epperson has said the skills gap analysis report was an effort to understand the needs of the job-seekers and provided insight into hiring trends of the south Punjab markets.
Speaking at the launch of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) skills gap analysis report at a local hotel on Wednesday, she said that the Punjab Youth Workforce Development (PYWD) was helping Pakistan maximize job creation in productive sectors.
The Punjab Youth Workforce Development (PYWD) project is funded by the USAID and project is providing skills-based training programmes for 10,000 youth, including 35 per cent females, between the ages of 16 and 29 in south Punjab districts of Multan, Lodhran, Bahawalpur and Muzaffargarh.
PYWD report discusses current and future employment trends in four districts and it is the synthesis of the findings of seven studies produced on skills gaps in the country, highlighting their relevance in today’s context and bringing to light future job opportunities.
The report also calls attention to newly emerging sectors of hospitality and healthcare in south Punjab.
Representatives from the private sector, vocational training providers including Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA), Punjab Vocational Training Council (PVTC) and donors supporting youth capacity-building initiatives in Pakistan attended the event.
The ceremony provided a platform to discuss the findings of the skills gap analysis and propose the best ways to increase youth employment in southern Punjab.
youth employment in southern Punjab may be through training / orientation in engaging them in the agro base/ agro allied SME industrial / commercial activities including imparting training in the export oriented pursuits including handicrafts/traditional products of that area.