Lahore, 1st August 2024 – Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) signed a contract for establishing, enhancing, and modifying On-The-Job-Training Centres (OJTCs) to create equitable employment and working conditions in the textile and fashion industry. The project aims at addressing structural challenges experienced by women and persons with disabilities (PWD), mainly in Punjab.

In line with CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif vision for women empowerment and providing dignified income for person with disabilities, this collaboration strives to create and transform income and employment opportunities for women and marginalized groups. The two-year collaboration accounts for PKR 88 million investment, with an increased focus on technical and soft skills. The key training districts are Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Multan, and Karachi.

The initiative will establish 13 industry-based OJTCs and 2 specialized centres for PWDs, training 4,000 trainees and equipping them with the skills necessary to prosper in the competitive textile and fashion sector, including leather goods, footwear, sports goods, and gloves manufacturing.
Muhammad Ubaid, Head of Project at GIZ, stated: “This has been one of its kind interventions, as we are eager to establish OJTCs for the first time in the country to empower women and create meaningful job opportunities for the growth of Pakistan’s economy.”

Ahmed Khan, CEO of PSDF stated “We are thrilled to partner with GIZ on this groundbreaking initiative to establish OJTCs in the textile and fashion industry. This collaboration represents a significant step towards creating inclusive and equitable employment opportunities for women and persons with disabilities in Punjab. By focusing on both technical and soft skills, we aim to empower women and marginalized communities to drive economic growth and inclusion.”

The combined efforts will not only boost employability but also mark as an important step toward achieving gender equity and opportunities for PWDs. PSDF has been a leading force in driving progress and hope for Punjab’s youth, achieving remarkable successes in skills development.

The Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) and the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) through which PSDF will impart training on behalf of NAVTTC among the youth across the country.

Speaking on the occasion, PSDF Chief Operating Officer, Ali Akbar Bosan, stressed the need to learn international practices and improve the local curriculum to global standards.

“There is a need to bridge the gap between the local and international curriculum so the country produces skilled manpower in accordance with international demand,” Mr Bosan said, adding that by doing so, the Pakistani workforce can place itself better in the international market.

NAVTCC Chairperson Gulmina Bilal Ahmad urged imposing the youth emergency.

“There is a need to take targeted steps to stop failing the youth and make them useful and important to society.

There is also a need to focus more on Balochistan for churning out more and more training there,” she said.

PSDF Board member, Dr Ijaz Nabi, observed that by signing the MoU with NAVTTC, the PSDF has now been moving towards its objective of creating a skill development institution.

He further suggested expanding the PSDF across the country and industries other than through government funding.

By the virtue of MoU, the outreach of PSDF has now expanded across the country, previously limited to Punjab.

As per a statement, collaborative efforts would be made in digital training and certifi cations of locally trained youth so they could be placed in the international market easily.

Both the organisations also agreed to conduct the sector studies and training need analysis (TNA) for local and international demand generation, other than the studies and impact evaluations of the skills training programmes.

Both the organisations will collaborate in imparting skills training to the youth of the country through training programmes in the construction, hospitality, and IT sectors.

These trainings will be imparted with a focus on at least 30 per cent of graduates getting employment,” it stated.

The training would be imparted in 16 districts across the country, including Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Rahim Yar Khan, Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Peshawar, Nowshera, Abbottabad, Quetta, Gilgit, and Muzaffarabad.

Furthermore, both organisations have agreed to collaborate on curriculum upgrades.

The project “Evidence Generation and Design of ‘Non-Formal Education to Job Placement’ programme for Out-of-School Adolescents (OOSA) of Punjab,” marked a significant milestone with its successful completion. The project was a collaborative effort between Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) and UNICEF, with technical support from Oxford Policy Management (OPM) and Akhuwat.

The partnership harnessed collective expertise to conceptualize an innovative, evidence-based programme to integrate accelerated learning, skills training and labour market linkages. This created a model to offer a cost-effective, hybrid solution whereby accelerated learning is integrated with skills development and linked with sustainable income generating and self-employment opportunities for out-of-school adolescents.

Over 9,500 out-of-school adolescents aged between 9 and 19 from six districts in Punjab, Lahore, Faisalabad, Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalpur, shared insights for the accelerated learning programme design as part of a comprehensive household survey. The survey also identified households with out-of-school adolescent boys and girls who would be willing to register for an accelerated learning and skills development programme.

In the pursuit of evidence generation, in partnership with other partners, PSDF actively contributed to the strategic development of a labour market linkage plan. PSDF engaged over 200 delivery partners and labour market stakeholders, fostering collaboration with Non-Formal Education partners, skills development partners and potential employers. This blueprint was designed to establish connections between the out-of-school adolescents and a diverse range of employment and self-employment opportunities.

The collaboration between UNICEF, PSDF, Akhuwat and OPM demonstrates the power of strategic partnerships in effectively addressing intricate social challenges.

“Programmes like this underscore our commitment to skills education and economic empowerment and also lay the groundwork for future endeavours aimed at transforming lives through such initiatives at every level,” shared PSDF’s Chief Operating Offer, Akbar Bosan upon the pilot programme’s completion.

“Connecting accelerated learning with skills development and opportunities for job placement in one programme is quite unique in Pakistan and could help disadvantaged adolescent girls and boys bridge the gap from learning to earning”,” said Ellen van Kalmthout, Chief of Education, UNICEF Pakistan.