Qaim says work underway to establish technical varsity

Karachi

Work is under way to establish the first ever technical university in Sindh and the documentation in this regard has been completed, announced Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah on Tuesday.

He said there was a great demand for skilled workers in the Middle East and these opportunities should be availed. The technical university will produce certified trained workers in various fields and they will be able to find work both within the country and abroad.

Presiding over a meeting of the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Youth Development Programme (BBSYDP), the chief minister directed its mangers to offer training courses in nursing and hotel management so the youth could bank on a secure future not only in Arabian countries but also in public and private hospitals of the country.

"You must study market requirements and offer courses according to the needs of the time,” he said.

Briefing the chief minister, BBSYDP chairman said at present the programme offered 34 different traing courses, including that of ECG technician, anaesthesia assistants, X-ray-technician, OT technician, lab technician. He said the most popular courses among girls were those of beautician, stitching and computer operation.

The secretary to chief minister on universities and boards, Iqbal Durrani, apprised the chief minister on the draft of technical university and its trades. He said the skilled youth seeking jobs abroad require certification, and the technical university will serve the purpose.

Talking about the achievements of the Benazir youth development programme, Durrani said 292,000 young people had so far been successfully trained in various trades. He said training material and manuals of 389 trades in English, Sindhi and Urdu had also been prepared.        

The programme was launched in 2008-2009 to enable unskilled youth earn a livelihood by imparting to them vocational training under public-private partnership.

The chief minister while concluding the meeting said he will send inspection teams to the training centres to see if they were working efficiently or not.