China’s institutes seek joint ventures

KARACHI: Educational institutes from China seek joint venture and collaboration with Pakistan’s institutes in advanced disciplines, providing an opportunity to build the technological capacity of Pakistan’s human resource.

Talking to The News on Saturday, China Pakistan Business and Investment Promotion Council for CPEC President Jack Tang said that a conference is being held in Karachi where Chinese universities and institutes would meet Pakistani universities and vocational institutes with an objective to form collaborations.

“According to the plan, trainers and teachers from China would serve at local varsities, which will help in capacity-building of the institutions, as well as develop technical skill areas in which the demand for workers is expected to rise,” Tang said.

As many as 24 technological colleges from China seek collaboration in 37 disciplines, including aerospace, agriculture, e-commerce, engineering, drone technology, metallurgy, fashion, mining, railways, engineering, water sciences, etc.

“If these collaborations last longer, it would help meet human resource requirements pertaining to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to a significant extent, as well as reduce unemployment ratios in Pakistan,” he added.

Meanwhile, China Pakistan Business and Investment Promotion Council is organising skilled and technical education conference on April 25 and 26 in Karachi in collaboration with the Sindh Board of Technical Education, NED University and National Development and Reform Commission of China.

According to the International Labor Organization, CPEC would bring 400,000 jobs to the country, while the Applied Economic Research Centre has estimated that the mega initiative would provide around 700,000 direct jobs between 2015 and 2030.

The Planning Commission’s data shows even more promising results, with CPEC generating around 800,000 jobs in the next 15 years.

Pakistan is about to gain a lot from these opportunities, as there would also be a noteworthy increase in the annual economic growth of the country.