ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Federal Minister for Education Engineer Muhammad Baligh-Ur-Rehman has said that our youth and workforce should be equipped with excellent skills in this global village and rapidly changing technologies, and they should have expertise to succeed in whatever they do.
While addressing as a Chief Guest at the inaugural ceremony of a Conference “International Conference on Regional Program on Skills for Youth Employability through Industrial Linkages”, the minister said that youth should be given right direction in right manner.
The minister further said that a practical, purposeful and efficient collaboration between Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and Industry is vital for enhancing productivity and firm competitiveness which ultimately leads to achieve rapid economic growth and national prosperity.
Baligh said that the present government has passed Apprenticeship Act in which role of industry is made participatory especially in view of harmony between TVET institutions and Industry for enhancing productivity and economic growth.
The federal minister noted that the new paradigm of TVET Sector in the region needs to be conceived in such a way that training systems can respond to demands of the industry. He said that industry should also play its due role in skill modernization, setting skills standards and provide direction to TEVT Sector for ensuring maximum employability.
The minister said that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has started new kind of research for employability through industrial linkages.
Baligh-Ur-Rehman said that the present government has started doing much more for education sector. He said that the government is moving in right direction and seeing good economic growth besides expecting six percent growth domestic product (GDP) growth this year.
The federal minister hoped that the Regional Program will go a long way in exploring a viable solution for the issues hampering close collaboration between the TVET institutions and industry.
The four-day Conference is being jointly organized by the National Vocational & Technical Training Commission of Pakistan (NAVTTC) and Colombo Staff Plan College (CPSC).
The delegates from 12 Countries are participating in the Conference.
