ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will launch the country’s largest-ever skill development programme ‘Hunermand Jawan’ on Thursday (today) aimed at enhancing faculties of youth through quality professional training.
The programme will be carried out in next four years at a cost of Rs 30 billion and will facilitate youth through easy loans, professional capacity-building, start-ups and internships. Imran Khan, while chairing a pre-launch meeting of ‘Hunermand Jawan’ on Wednesday termed youth an ‘asset of nation’ and said the programme would help youth get better job opportunities and contribute to national development.
Stressing improvement in formal education, he said there was also a need to liaise technical and professional skills with needs of market. He regretted that due to lack of standardization of education and professional skills, youth faced difficulties in getting better job opportunities. On promotion of technical and professional education in academic institutions, the prime minister said utilisation of technology would provide effective solution to several challenges of the country. Imran Khan said inability of qualified youth to get jobs raised question over the quality of technical and professional institutions.
He stressed for the training of youth in advanced technology particularly artificial intelligence for better utilization of their capabilities for national development and also for international institutions.
Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Usman Dar briefed the prime minister about different aspects of the programme.
Hunarmand Jawan will have technical support of the Ministry of Education, the National Vocational and Training Centre and the Higher Education Commission (HEC). The first phase of Hunermand Jawan will span over 20 months, costing Rs 10 billion with an objective of youth’s capacity-building and preparing them as a useful workforce in accordance with international standards.
The programme will also develop linkages with international organizations to generate more employment opportunities for Pakistani youth. In first phase, around 170,000 youth will be given professional skill-based training, of which 50,000 will be trained in areas of artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud computing and other advanced areas of technology.
As many as 50,000 youth will be given training at Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) in conventional areas including auto-mechanics, plumbing etc.
About 20,000 youth will be given apprenticeship whereas 50,000 will be awarded certificates in recognition of skilled knowledge. The prime minister was briefed that a National Accreditation Council will be established and the 2,000 centres affiliated with TEVTA will be accredited. Standardization of professional training will be done to ensure uniformity of syllabus across the country.
Around 75 smart classrooms will be established to ensure easy access to skill and professional education besides provision of such training at 70 seminaries. Five Centres of Exellence will also be established in collaboration with friendly countries. Also, departments of TEVTA will be affiliated with other countries. The prime minister was briefed over the start-up programmes.
