PSDF (Punjab Skills Development Fund) has signed an agreement of PKR 150 million with Koh e Suleman Improvement Project (KISP) to lead the skill trainings for residents of Tehsil Koh e Suleman, DG Khan, and De-excluded area of Rajanpur. These areas comprise of tribal communities with low literacy levels and until now have had limited opportunities for personal and economic development. During the first phase of the project, 2000 residents will receive training which will include at least 20 percent female trainees across four key sectors; Light Engineering, Construction, Services, and Textiles. These trainings will be the first of their kind in these districts and PSDF will use its skill expertise to equip residents with market-relevant professional knowledge to commence their skill development and open career opportunities for them.

To mobilize this project, training centers will also be established in the tribal areas to execute the training and create ease of access for the residents. A stipend of Rs 3500 monthly will also be provided to the trainees to facilitate their learning journey.

The on-ground trainings are scheduled to commence in July of this year.  During the contract signing ceremony Maqbool Ahmed (Project Director, KISP) remarked, “We look forward to working with PSDF on this project, PSDF’s expertise in executing quality skills trainings will bring a lot of value for these communities and prepare them to access income-generating opportunities”.  PSDF COO Ali Akbar Bosan also reiterated this sentiment, “These trainings are aimed at developing the local resident’s skillsets in professional fields that are growing and employers are actively seeking to hire workers in. PSDF will utilize its expertise to ensure that trainees receive the right technical knowledge so they can confidently pursue employment opportunities throughout the country”.

PSDF is the country’s largest skill development fund and has established itself as a skills expert by training more than 500,000 women and men in 250 plus trades.  It has also successfully implemented trainings on behalf of FCDO, World Bank and the Government of Punjab.

Jawad Zahoor Khan, Country Head Parwaaz and CEO- PSDF (sitting on the right), Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO – HBL (sitting in the center) and Mansur-Ur-Rehman Khan, CEO IBP (sitting on the left) signing the MoC on behalf of their organizations.  

Karachi, April 12, 2021– Parwaaz, HBL and Institute of Bankers Pakistan (IBP) signed a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) to develop a skilling program for Parwaaz’s financial services incubator. The incubator will equip current and aspiring bankers with skills to become cybersecurity specialists.  

The MoC was signed by Mr. Jawad Khan, Country Head Parwaaz and CEO Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF); Mr. Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO – HBL and Mr. Mansur- Ur– Rehman Khan, CEO IBP.  

This tripartite partnership is a crucial step in closing the national skills gap. PSDF, through the Parwaaz platform, will fund the development of the training program, manage the training delivery, and harness its vast network to engage relevant financial institutes to create job opportunities for the graduates.  HBL will lead the identification of banking professionals who are apt for this training and the bank will also offer job placements to selected graduates. IBP’s role is to select cybersecurity subject experts and develop course curriculum with support from HBL for the training. IBP will mobilize applicants for training, conduct pre and post assessment of the training on graduate’s expertise and facilitate them in accessing employment opportunities in the financial services sector.  

During the MoC signing Country Head Parwaaz, Mr. Jawad said, “Cybersecurity is a fast-growing specialization globally and as the financial world digitizes, it is a highly sought-after area of expertise for current and upcoming professionals in the banking sector. This is the first time that a certification in cybersecurity is being developed and offered in Pakistan. Parwaaz is championing the global skills agenda and is focused on making our youth future-ready for careers in Pakistan and the international market”.  

Mr. Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO – HBL and Co-chair of Parwaaz, said, “Pakistan’s digital transformation journey must be backed by a highly skilled workforce that can safeguard our digital assets. HBL is committed to Pakistan’s economic growth and social uplift. Through this partnership, HBL will help develop and execute a robust training program for the Parwaaz skills incubator participants in the important field of cyber security while creating further employment opportunities in the country.” 

Mr. Mansur- Ur– Rehman Khan (CEO IBP), also highlighted the importance of this step, “This initiative led by Parwaaz and PSDF in collaboration with HBL is a milestone in the field of information risk management. The certification program on Cybersecurity Specialist is the first of its kind to identify, develop and assess key knowledge areas. I am proud that IBP will play a part in this and ensure that our future bankers are adequately skilled.” 

Parwaaz is the National Accelerator on closing the skills gap in the country, launched in collaboration with World Economic Forum (WEF) with PSDF as the Secretariat. The accelerator has incubators dedicated to skilling, re–skilling and upskilling the national workforce in priority sectors. Globally, a skills gap exists in the field of cybersecurity creating a dire need for specialists. This alliance will create a pool of specialists, close the existing skills gaps in the financial sector, and give graduates high income work opportunities.  

Model linking non-formal education and job placement to be developed as part of the ‘Generation Unlimited’ partnership

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, 11 December 2020 – Today the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) signed a partnership agreement to implement a research and development project in support of adolescent and youth education, skills development and job placement as part of the ‘Generation Unlimited’ partnership in Pakistan.

The agreement will help research, design and pre-test an accelerated and cost-effective ‘Non-Formal Education to Job Placement’ model to help improve the skills and employability of the most vulnerable and economically, socially disadvantaged adolescents and youth. It targets adolescents and young people who have never attended formal education or who dropped out of the formal education system without achieving primary school competencies, and who do not have access to education and economic opportunities.

PSDF will work with UNICEF, federal and provincial governments, and partners from civil society organizations and the private sector to design and pre-test the ‘Non-Formal Education to Job Placement’ model in Punjab. It aims at offering a unique, integrated solution by simultaneously (1) providing adolescents and young people age 10-19 who are outside the formal education system with the opportunity to enroll in an Accelerated Learning Program so they can achieve foundational skills in literacy and numeracy at primary school; (2) equipping those who have achieved grade 5 competency level with job and entrepreneurial skills through training to enhance their capacities to access non-hazardous income generational opportunities; and (3) linking young people who have successfully graduated from the program to the labour market.

“We are proud that UNICEF has partnered with PSDF in Pakistan for this landmark initiative to educate and skill out-of-school adolescents,” said Mr. Jawad Khan, CEO of PSDF. “This is recognition of PSDF as the most innovative and progressive development sector organization in Pakistan. PSDF has deep knowledge in skills training gained through managing large evidence-based and demand-driven programs, operational excellence achieved through working with largest international donors, and unmatched ability to deliver results as PSDF graduates generate annual incomes of PKR 20 Billion.”

The project is part of the ‘Generation Unlimited’ (GenU) partnership in Pakistan, which aims at creating a movement to help young people, particularly adolescent girls and boys between the ages of 10 and 19, acquire the education and skills training required to access employment opportunities. The GenU multi-sector partnership platform brings together government, private sector, civil society organizations and development partners, and forges innovative collaboration with young people, with a view to expand and link formal education and skill development.

“Pakistan has the largest generation of young people in its history, which provides unique challenges as well as opportunities,” said Ms. Aida Girma, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan. “This new model aims to expand opportunities for and with young people, in particular out-of-school adolescent girls and boys, to access quality education, skills training and employment. It supports the Vision of ‘Generation Unlimited’, which is to gather public and private partners around the goal of investing in young people to help them achieve their potential while supporting economic and social growth.”

The model will be developed and pre-tested in Punjab as a first phase. The goal is to start similar programs in other provinces in the future to reach millions of young people who lack opportunities.

About PSDF – A Success Story of Public-Private Partnerships:

PSDF is the largest skills development fund in Pakistan for the youth. It plays a leadership role in skills training by collaborating with over 500+training partners, including 200+ businesses across 10 sectors. PSDF delivers training in 2,400+ locations and 40% of its beneficiaries are women. PSDF also leads the National Accelerator on Closing the Skills Gap in Pakistan in partnership with the World Economic Forum.

PSDF – Media Enquiries

Communications Team:
Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF),
Contact: +92-42-35752408-10
E-mail: communications@psdf.org.pk

Follow PSDF on Social Media

Website: www.psdf.org.pk
LinkedIn: Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF)
Facebook:/punjabskillsdevelopmentfund
Twitter: @PSDF_official
YouTube: /punjabskillsdevelopmentfund

UNICEF
Catherine Weibel, UNICEF Pakistan, cweibel@unicef.org, +92 300 500 2592
Sana’a Zuberi, UNICEF Pakistan, szuberi@unicef.org, +92 332 8564 233

About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org and www.unicef.org/pakistan. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Generation Unlimited
Founded in September 2018,  Generation Unlimited (GenU) aims to transform education, employment and entrepreneurial outcomes for young people around the world by bringing together stakeholders from the private sector, government, UN agencies, civil society and young people to scale up solutions and attract investment.

LAHORE: 9 November, 2020 – PSDF, the largest skills development fund in Pakistan (funded by FCDO and the Government of Punjab), has partnered with Coursera, one of the world’s leading online learning platforms, to offer globally recognized courses, free of cost for our youth. The partnership was announced during Coursera CEO’s Global Keynote at the Coursera virtual conference.

While online learning is a relatively new phenomenon in Pakistan, amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic, interest and necessity have jointly dictated the shift to online learning particularly for school, colleges and universities. Internet penetration, growing cellular subscribers have facilitated the uptake of online learning, providing access to the world’s best education, and promoting inclusion in learning.

PSDF’s partnership with Coursera taps into this potential, offering a wide variety of courses in market relevant fields, and are particularly geared towards enhancing career advancement, increasing income avenues, and promoting self-employment.

The courses currently offered through PSDF, are 4-months long, and are in the fields of Digital Marketing (for learning SEO, Social Media Marketing and Marketing Analytics), IT (ranging from APP development to coding languages of JAVA & PYTHON), to Finance (Financial Accounting Fundamentals). Through PSDF, these courses will be offered free of cost to the youth that need them the most, with PSDF further incentivizing upskilling with a stipend of PKR 6,000 to be received upon completion of the course.

Every course on Coursera is taught by top instructors from 190 world-class universities and organizations (University of Virginia, UCDavis, Google, IBM etc.) with over 40+ Million learners till date. Learners can take advantage of learning at their own pace through on-demand video lectures, homework exercises, and community discussion forums. After completion of their respective courses, 85% Coursera learners reported gaining more confidence at work, and 87% reported improved team performance.

Speaking on occasion of the launch of the partnership, CEO PSDF, Mr. Jawad Khan expressed the importance of online learning for youth to gain marketable skills for the 21^st century: “As we navigate our way out of the global Coronavirus pandemic, digital preparedness and online learning have become the need of the hour. PSDF has once again been ahead of the curve, bringing Coursera to Pakistan, on such a large scale, bringing world class learning opportunities to the homes of millions of Pakistani students and workers. We’re looking forward to taking this partnership ahead, to create real and tangible impact for our youth”.

Encouraging youth to take full advantage of the opportunity, Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO at Coursera said: “We’re really excited to be partnering with PSDF, the largest skills development fund in Pakistan, to empower the young men and women in Pakistan to develop their potential with online learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has harmed economies and livelihoods, but even as we work and learn from home, online learning has become more accessible and powerful than ever. Our partnership with PSDF provides the opportunity for everyone to access free training to upskill and give themselves an edge in the local and global labour markets.”

The PSDF and Coursera partnership has thus officially been launched and will be available for free for poor and vulnerable youth in the country. The courses are accessible through learn.psdf.org.pk. Seats are limited, so applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to kickstart their career, upgrade their skills and discover new income avenues.

About PSDF – A Success Story of Public-Private Partnerships:
PSDF is the largest skills development fund in Pakistan set up by the Government of Punjab (GoPb) in collaboration with Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

It plays a leadership role in skills training by collaborating with over 500+ training partners, including 200+ businesses across 10 sectors. PSDF delivers trainings in 2,400+ locations and 40% of its beneficiaries are women. PSDF also leads the National Accelerator on Closing the Skills Gap in Pakistan in partnership with the World Economic Forum.

PSDF – Media Enquiries

Communications Team:
Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF),
Contact: +92-42-35752408-10
E-mail: communications@psdf.org.pk

Follow PSDF on Social Media

Website: www.psdf.org.pk
LinkedIn: Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF)
Facebook:/punjabskillsdevelopmentfund
Twitter: @PSDF_official
YouTube: /punjabskillsdevelopmentfund