Government to focus on skill, entrepreneurship development

ISLAMABAD, Mar 25 (APP):Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Muhammad Usman Dar Monday called on Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood in order to discuss the need of imparting productive skills and developing entrepreneurship culture among youth through Skills Development and Startup Pakistan initiatives.
Under Skills Development project, 150,000 prospective trainees were planned to receive technical and vocational training in demand driven trades over a period of next two years, a press release said.
Around 50 percent of these trainings would focus on high–end labor sectors, whereas remaining 50 percent would target conventional vocational trainings in less privileged areas like Balochistan and FATA, ensuring about 75 percent employ-ability of the trained youth.
Under Startup Pakistan initiative, 01 million youth across all universities and 300 accredited TVET institutes would be targeted to create a national eco-system for entrepreneurship incubation for establishing self-sustaining venture start-ups as a driving engine for the national economy.
Besides this, Usman Dar also briefed Shafqat Mahmood on about-to-be launched initiatives of Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, namely National Youth Employment Exchange and a mobile application the skilled workers.
These apps would ensure better employ-ability of the trained workforce by connecting them with the employers through smart phones.
It was agreed in the meeting to carry on coordinated efforts to ensure effective training, and entrepreneurship development for better employ-ability of youth both in the local and international markets.