‘USAID helping Pakistan create jobs in productive sectors’

LAHORE: USAID Deputy Mission Director Clay Epperson at a seminar held here on Tuesday said USAID is helping Pakistan to maximise job creation in the productive sectors.

At the event, USAID’s Punjab Youth Workforce Development (PYWD) project presented its recently published Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Skills Gap Analysis Report — the most up-to-date account of current and future employment trends in four districts of Southern Punjab.

The report synthesised the findings of seven studies/reports produced on skills gaps in the country, highlighting their relevance in today’s context, and bringing to light future job opportunities. It also drew attention towards newly-emerging sectors in Multan, Bahawalpur, Lodhran and Muzaffargarh, including hospitality and healthcare.

Present at the event were representatives from the private sector, vocational training providers, including Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (Tevta), Punjab Vocational Training Council (PVTC), and donors supporting youth capacity-building initiatives in Pakistan.

Speaking at the event, USAID Deputy Mission Director Clay Epperson remarked, “This Skills Gap Analysis Report provides insight into the hiring trends of the market while understanding the needs of the job seekers. Through the PYWD project, USAID is helping Pakistan to maximise job creation in the productive sectors.”

The event provided a platform for TVET sector public-private stakeholders, including Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Punjab Skills Development Fund, Tevta, PVTC, and Akhuwat, to discuss the findings of the Skills Gap Analysis and proposed the best ways to increase youth employment in Pakistan.

During the seminar, USAID’s PYWD project and a private company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide self-employment opportunities for graduating students in solar panel installation.

USAID’s PYWD project is providing skills-based training programmes for 10,000 youth, including 35 percent females, between the ages of 16 and 29 in the southern Punjab districts of Multan, Lodhran, Bahawalpur, and Muzaffargarh. The three-year programme complements the Punjab government’s policy to provide skill development opportunities for youth. In addition to contributing to Punjab’s overall economic growth, the project also fosters socially constructive attitudes among youths for increased stability and improved livelihoods.