LAHORE :The launching ceremony of Prime Minister’s Hunarmand Pakistan Programme (Kamyab Jawan Programme) in Punjab was held at the Information Technology University (ITU) here Friday.
Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood launched the programme which would be executed jointly by the ITU, as leading partner, and National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NVTTC).
ITU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Niaz Akhtar, DG NAVTTC Rana Muhammad Saleem Afzal, ITU Registrar Zaheer Sarwar, Tevta Chairman Punjab Ali Salman, PITB Chairman Azfar Manzoor and others were present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Shafqat Mahmood said Pakistan was fortunate enough to have a large youth population. However, there was a need to first empower youths to play a crucial role in the development of the country, he added. He said our youths had degrees but lacked skills owing to which there were less employment opportunities for them. He stressed that besides theoretical knowledge, technical skills especially in Information Technology (IT) held key importance in today’s competitive world. He said this youth bulge was our biggest asset and as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, youths of the country would be provided training in different skills.
Shafqat Mahmood appreciated tremendous interest of youths shown in hi-tech/hi-end courses offered under the banner of Prime Minister’s Kamyab Jawan Programme. He congratulated ITU on taking the lead in the field of IT in Pakistan and recognised the role of university as the ‘Center of Excellence’.
The minister said the government would also regulate vocational training regime in the country and for this purpose a National Accreditation Council would be established. He said the government would also set up 200 incubation centres in universities.
In his address, Prof Dr Niaz Akhtar invited students to benefit from government’s initiative. He said students would acquire technical skills and make their mark by competing not only in Pakistan but also at the global level. He highlighted ITU’s focus on research and the role of its faculty in decreasing gaps between theoretical knowledge and practical problems.