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Friday March 29, 2024

‘E-Rozgaar Centres to help students showcase talent’

By our correspondents
July 15, 2017

LAHORE: The e-Rozgaar Centres established in various universities of the Punjab province will provide an opportunity to the educated youth to utilise their skills in technical, non-technical and creative designing areas under the guidance of highly professional master trainers for strengthening the national economy.

This was stated by the founding Vice-Chancellor of Information Technology University (ITU), Chairman PITB and the Adviser to the CM Punjab while inaugurating the 6th eRozgaar Centre at the University of Punjab, Jhelum Campus under the joint project of Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and Youth Affairs, Sports, Archeology & Tourism (YASAT)’s, “Chief Minister’s eRozgaar Programme” here Friday.

After the completion of training in these centres, which would remain open for 24 hours, by the selected 10,000 freelancer youths who were fuel for this programme, if each of them earn $30 per day, they can earn Rs100,000/- per month through website designing, copy editing, proof reading, writing software and articles, they could generate Rs36 billion for the country, he said, adding that there was a need to make educational institutions politics-free and focus on education while female segment of our country could play a leading role to take the country forward. 

Dr Umar Saif said Pakistan being the world’s third largest freelancer contributor country with 60 percent of Pakistan’s population being below 35 years of age, with insufficient jobs in the market, producing every year 250,000 graduates against 50,000 available job opportunities required to devise a programme as our youths were capable enough to online monetise their education and skills by exercising and adopting technology and freelancing. We were capable enough to take forward the technological entrepreneurship while we have the best well-equipped universities to provide the environment to progress.

In the present world almost all tasks were being out-sourced and our youths could work on Internet for various websites around the globe, which is now a trillion dollar economy and this centre being second in North Punjab after UET, Taxila would add to the freelance workforce by training 185 selected candidates, including students of PU and those who applied from the surrounding area, he added. 

To provide free training to the candidates selected through a transparent process across the province of the Punjab, 40 CM e-Rozgaar Centres are being established at an estimated cost of Rs547 million in various universities of the province. 

Centres at University of Gujrat, Government College Women University, Faisalabad, UET, Taxila and COMSATS, Sahiwal have been successfully launched by PITB. These centres are active and classes have begun. Earlier, the PU administrator Jhelum Campus gave a briefing regarding the campus established in 2012.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed by the Punjab University VC Dr Zaffar Mueen Nasar and Dr Umar Saif, the founding Vice-Chancellor of Information Technology University (ITU), Chairman PITB and the Adviser to the CM Punjab on this occasion. 

Punjab University VC Prof Dr Zaffar Mueen Nasar termed the e-Rozgaar an innovative link to the market and offered full cooperation for extending the programme to rest of the five campuses of the Punjab University. 

PITB invited online applications and received 33,105 applications from the young graduates and on the basis of merit, selected candidates shall be given three months training in three phases for freelance self-employment in technical, non-technical and creative design areas by high profile trainers. Among these centres, five are reserved for female candidates.

In the first phase, 10,000 candidates selected on merit through a transparent process are being trained in three different batches during the current year. These centres are being established currently in 15 universities of the Punjab. 

Since the concept and awareness of earning through the Internet and taking freelancing as a serious profession is very new in the smaller cities of Punjab, the programme has taken upon itself to guide and groom graduates from a variety of backgrounds. The training will enable youths to generate income approximately from Rs40,000 to Rs80,000 per month while working from home.

driving schools: Chief Traffic Officer SSP Rai Ijaz Ahmad attended a meeting regarding establishment of four new driving schools at Tevta head office.

Tevta GM Amir Aziz and  Manager Aizaz Haider were also present. CTO Rai Ijaz Ahmad said that four new driving schools were being established at Gulberg, Mughalpura, Raiwind and Township soon to facilitate citizens with the collaboration of Tevta. Thousands of citizens will be able to utilise the services of the new driving schools, he added.

Tevta authorities welcomed the initiative of City Traffic Police Lahore to establish four driving schools.