Foreign delegates visit vocational training centre in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: The members of a foreign delegation on Tuesday visited the Community Leadership and Vocational Centre, where youngsters from the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) are imparted skills. The centre is being run by the Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) in Hayatabad.

A delegation of the government of Germany led by Hammer Schmidt, Head of Asia Directorate, and representatives of KFW and German Embassy met youth from the newly merged tribal districts undergoing trainings in different trades.

The youth are undergoing training in motor repair, motorcycle repair, plumbing, cooking and community leadership. They are part of the thousands of young people, who are availing the training opportunities being offered at the centre. The delegation was told that the merger of former tribal areas with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had opened up new opportunities for the young people.

The delegations were informed that the abolition of the Frontier Crimes Regulation and other steps taken by the government to mainstream the former tribal areas would help usher in a new era of development. The trainees said they were keen to go back to their villages and set up businesses.

Welcoming the visitors, SRSP CEO Masoodul Mulk gave a briefing on the work of the organisation in the tribal districts and other parts of KP. He said communities everywhere in the region exhibited the capacity for self-help. There was a dire need for improving livelihood opportunities and basic infrastructure, he added. He thanked the government of Germany for contributing to Pakistan's efforts to improve the quality of lives of its people living in the remote regions.