Raja Ashfaq Sarwar distributes Employment Visas among successful 73-trainees

Lahore: Provincial Minister for Labour and Human Resource Raja Ashfaq Sarwar has said that the Punjab Government is taking all concrete measures to enhance labour export and foreign exchange by providing latest and demand-based skill training to the youth of the province including Southern Punjab to create job opportunities and eliminate poverty and unemployment as well.

He stated this while addressing a ceremony to distribute Employment Visas among successful 73-trainees from various districts of the province, mostly from southern Punjab, to work in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

This training was organized and funded by Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) and Malsol Technical Training Services imparted this training. Secretary Labour and HR Ali Sarfaraz, member Skills Development Board and MPA Saira Iftikhar, Chief Operating Officer PSDF Ali Akbar Bosan, CEO Mansol Technical Training Services Abdul Khaliq Khan, Officers from PSDF, Labour and HR Department, Industrialist and labourers attended the ceremony.

Speaking at the occasion, Raja Ashfaq Sarwar said that the event marks a significant milestone in exporting labour from Punjab Province to GCC countries as it follows the vision of Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to impart skill training to two million youth of the province till 2018 under Punjab Growth Strategy Programme.

He further said that Punjab Government appreciates the role of public and private sector’s skill training institutes including PSDF to provide skill training to the unemployed youth of the province for elimination of poverty.

Raja Ashfaq Sarwar apprised the participants that Punjab Government has targeted to get a fair share of labour export in FIFA World Cup 2022 and Dubai Expo 2020 by upgrading training institutes in Public Sector and remodeling syllabus of these institutes according to the demand of these countries.

COO PSDF Ali Akbar Bosan said that his institute has funded to provide latest skill training to more than 1,11000 youth of the province by its funds with the help of UK AID and World Bank. He said that PSDF has expended its training programmes throughout the Punjab and has fixed the target of providing skill training to 65000 youth every year.

Ali Akbar Bosan said that more than 25000 students are getting different skills training in 150 public and private training institutes, presently while more than 170 industrial skills units are registered with PSDF and data of the trained graduates is shared with them on regular basis so as to ensure their job opportunities in local and foreign industry.

Secretary Labour Ali Sarfraz also addressed the ceremony and said that Punjab Government is implementing to an effective plan of action for the international certification of the trained graduates for ensuring their labor export to GCC countries.