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FAISALABAD, Oct 17 (APP):President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) Farooq Yousaf Sheikh said that result-oriented collaboration between industries and technical training institutions is imperative to produce skilled workforce which could truly meet requirements of modern industry.
He was addressing a delegation of National Vocational & Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) led by its Director General Muhammad Ghazanfar Ali Rao during their visit to FCCI.
Farooq Yousaf Sheikh said that as the global technological landscape continues to evolve rapidly, Pakistan must upgrade quality of its industrial products and reduce production costs to remain competitive in exports.
He said that despite the ongoing efforts of training institutions, industries still struggle to find skilled workers suited to their operational needs.
He urged NAVTTC to restructure its strategy on demand-driven basis rather than supply-driven planning and said that the FCCI could provide verified data on the actual manpower requirements of local industries.
He also stressed the need of accelerating certification process for skilled workers to enable them to secure better employment opportunities both domestically and abroad.
He said that currently the productivity level of Pakistani skilled workers is nearly one-third lower than the level of their counterparts in other countries. This situation requires urgent steps to bridge this gap through modern training standards and practical exposure, he added.
He highlighted the changing dynamics of modern industrial era and said that the evolution from technical tools to computers and now to artificial intelligence has revolutionized production processes, eliminating even the need for workers to issue manual commands.
He requested NAVTTC Director General to bring his chairman to FCCI for a policy-level dialogue for aligning national training programs with industrial realities.
He nominated FCCI Vice President Engineer Asim Munir as focal person for continued collaboration between NAVTTC and FCCI.
NAVTTC Director General Muhammad Ghazanfar Ali Rao briefed the chamber about the commission’s initiatives and said that NAVTTC is engaging directly with industries and private training institutions to enhance workforce development.
He assured that the certification system would be further improved in consultation with industrial stakeholders and chamber representatives.
FCCI Senior Vice President Naveed Akram Sheikh, Vice President Engineer Asim Munir and NAVTTC Deputy Director Amir Kamal and others were also present in the meeting.
Later, FCCI President Farooq Yousaf Sheikh presented souvenirs to NAVTTC Director General and his team.