Lahore: Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif has set an ambitious target to provide skills training to one million young people over the next three years. This initiative comes as part of a series of newly approved projects aimed at enhancing technical and vocational training opportunities throughout the province.
According to Directorate General Public Relation – Govt of Punjab, the announcement was made during a special meeting chaired by the Chief Minister. The meeting detailed the establishment of several new centers of excellence, including Punjab’s first modern Woodworking Centre of Excellence, and centers dedicated to electrical work, vehicle technology, and digital marketing. Additionally, new certification programs for agriculture and heavy machinery operators were approved.
Chief Minister Sharif also sanctioned the CM Language Learning Programme, which will offer courses in 13 languages, marking a first for Punjab. Furthermore, the province plans to inaugurate its first Cleaning and Cleaner Academy to provide professional training across various sectors, including healthcare, hospitality, and domestic services.
The meeting highlighted ongoing progress, noting that skills training had been completed for 400,000 young people in Punjab, with over 45 percent securing employment. The Skills Development and Entrepreneurship Department reported that nearly 175,000 trained individuals had gained employment, with more than 38,000 finding jobs abroad.
Sector-specific data revealed significant training outcomes. In manufacturing, 113,333 individuals completed training, with over 50,000 securing employment. The IT sector saw 111,607 trained, with 49,588 finding jobs. Training in agriculture and livestock led to 10,033 jobs for 23,269 trainees. Construction and energy sectors also reported substantial employment figures post-training.
The briefing underscored the impact of the Empowering Women through Information Technology programme, which enabled 3,000 women in rural areas to earn from home. The department also enhanced the skills of 15,065 teachers and staff through industry-related and management training.
Infrastructure improvements included upgrades to 220 computer laboratories, 100 industrial stitching labs, 70 solar labs, and 27 healthcare labs, alongside the introduction of virtual reality welding and electric vehicle laboratories.
Future initiatives include the ‘Mahir’ programme, targeting 25,000 trainees in industrial hubs like Lahore and Faisalabad. The ‘Global Rozgar’ programme aims to train 25,000 youths for the BPO sector, while the Advance Tech programme will offer international certifications in emerging technologies to 7,500 individuals.
The Rs. 2.6 billion ‘Haryali’ programme is poised to train 20,000 youths in agriculture and green environment sectors. Meanwhile, the ‘Pahchaan and Umeed’ programmes have already trained 2,474 transgenders, with plans to extend skills training to 10,000 persons with disabilities. Additionally, 69 TEVTA institutions will annually train 45,700 young people in line with the European Qualifications Framework.
The meeting also celebrated the achievement of a trainee electrician from Punjab, who secured fourth place in the World Skills Shanghai competition.