Breakfast with Jang: Pakistan has great human capital, says European Union envoy

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan Jean-François Cautain has said that the European Union (EU) will continue the facility of GSP Plus for the economic success of Pakistan. This will help the industries and economy of Pakistan to further grow and prosper, he added. He expressed these views as the chief guest in a session of ‘Breakfast with Jang’ in Islamabad.
The ambassador said: “People under 35 account for almost 60 per cent of Pakistan’s population. These people are national assets, and also a challenge for the country. They are being artistically enriched through the technical and vocational education training (TVET) programme already, and all measures are being taken to enhance their standing at this level. Through this programme, it is aimed to provide high-level education facilities to young men and women.”
The programme moderator, Sikandar Hameed Lodhi, gave details about the session of ‘Breakfast with Jang’. On the other hand, Ali Moeen Nawazish welcomed the chief guest on the behalf of Jang Group’s Sarmad Ali.
Ambassador Cautain said: “The population of young people in Pakistan is almost two-thirds of the total population. For this reason, Pakistan is a very fortunate country for it has great human capital. These people can be used in the field of production. This step can further bring a positive impact on the economic and social situation of Pakistan. Currently, three million young people are entering the job market every year in Pakistan. For them, 476,850 employment opportunities are available in 358 institutions. If we see this, there is a clear difference between demand and supply in this case. Apart from this, effective measures also need to be taken to provide quality education to the young people.”
The EU ambassador said: “The young people in Pakistan’s population are national assets, and also a big challenge for the society and economy. For this reason, it is imperative to adopt and spread technical and vocational training system as much as possible. On the other hand, it is the need of the hour to increase collaborative efforts between private and public sector in order to end the clear difference between demand and supply in the labour market. In Pakistan, the TVET programme was launched in 2011. So far, we have witnessed encouraging results.”
Cautain further said: “For this programme, apart from the EU, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway have also supported a lot. Now, work on this programme’s second stage, which will run for five years.
It has kicked off from January 2017. The main aims of this stage are to improve governance at all levels and increase the involvement of the private sector.” He added that the results could be enhanced with the help of good governance and consultations. The ambassador said that this could also increase the opportunities to provide quality education and training.
Cautain said that for economic success and social welfare of Pakistan, the TVET programme was not the last destination, but there was a need to do more arrangements in the field of education. He further added that for the implementation of national TVET policy, legal measures must be taken.
He said: “Apart from this, it is significant to collaborate with the parents of children, business and industry, investors, and all relevant stakeholders for consultations to be successful. In this regard, the EU is ready to help all institutions and provide guidance to them in all fields.”
EU First Secretary Anne Kofoed, former federal information secretary Ashfaq Gondal, Col Khalid Tareen, former director of PIA Malik Nazir Ahmed, Sohail Anwar, Hafsa Jawad, Misbah Aslam, Dr Tariq Mahmood, Muhammad Ahmed, Dr Zulfiqar, Muazzam Ali Tarrar, Arsalan Kiyani, Tayyab Chattha, Asif Chaudhary, Tanzeelur Rehman, Sohail Kazi, Ahmer Rafi, Suhail Riaz and many other experts from different fields were present on this event.