World Bank to support a $15 million project of Punjab Skill Development Fund

During a group discussion at Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a WB representative Ali Qureshi stated that The World Bank (WB) group will support the Punjab Skill Development Fund (PSDF) in launching a $15 million project to train unemployed youth in the 18-29 age bracket in marketable skills, on Monday.

He said the training would be arranged in collaboration with the private sector. He said the data available with the WB suggested that 70 percent of the youth in this age group were educated only up to the secondary school level. Their absorption in the industry was poor because they lacked employable skills, he added.

Rehana Riffat, another WB representative, said the bank had undertaken a similar project in Kenya that yielded positive results. She said the project was expected to boost industrial productivity and enable a large number of young people to get jobs in the country. She said to ensure that the project corresponded to the needs of the industry the WB was holding detailed discussions with stakeholders.

PSDF’s Zohaib Haq said that the scope of the project would be extended to the entire province based on the outcome of the pilot phase.

Earlier, FCCI president Chaudhary Muhammad Nawaz said that the industrialists were working in collaboration with the Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority to ensure availability of skilled manpower. He welcomed the new project and urged the WB and the PSDF to ensure fair representation of women in its training sessions.

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