MoU on technical skills signed

LAHORE: A memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony took place between the Chief Minister Special Monitoring Unit, Bargad and Oxfam at a local hotel here on Tuesday.

According to a press release, the MoU was signed between Bargad and Oxfam to impart soft and market led technical skills to youth. These skills would be delivered via a hub model. The hub model, named as ‘Innovation Hub’, was a pilot led by Bargad in District Layyah. Under the MOU, an Innovation HUB will be inaugurated in Layyah by the end of this month. It will aim to train 1,270 youth aged between 15-24 years, belonging to different literacy tiers. Out of the total 1,270 trainees, 70 will be selected to become master trainers, 22 trainees are given entrepreneurship opportunities by linking them with Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs) and mentors while 200 trainees will be given job opportunities by using linkages with private and public sector enterprises. Another 200 trainees will be given kick starter packages for agriculture related activities and the remaining individuals will be given skills training in different fields as per their interest, such as farming, livestock, entrepreneurship and computer skills.

Punjab Minister for Sports, Archeology, Tourism and Youth Affairs Jahangir Khanzada shed light on the importance of the partnership explaining, “The signing of MoU between Bargad and Oxfam marked a definitive step towards an empowered society, one where men and women alike were equipped with relevant skills to become self-sufficient, as was the vision of the Chief Minister and the mandate of the government”.

Bargad Executive Director Sabiha Shaheen said, “The signing of the MoU was indicative of the importance placed on the rural youth of Layyah by the Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit (SMU), government of the Punjab. This will serve as a landmark agreement in improving the lives of rural youth in Layyah.” “This partnership aligns with the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif for an inclusive and equitable society. With the aim to empower the youth of Punjab by imparting essential technical skills, the SMU will use the HUB Model as a pilot case study through which we aim to create effective policies for further improvement of the technical education sector. We are hopeful that the best practices and outcomes from the pilot will pave the way for effective youth reforms in Punjab,” said Fatima Zaidi, Head SMU. Oxfam Program Director Adeel Qaiser said, “Today’s MoU was a great achievement and a great support from the government towards the province’s rural youth in Layyah. I hope that the government expands this initiative to other areas of the province too.”