Pakistan becomes member of Reskilling Revolution initiative

Islamabad : For its efforts to upgrade workforce according to rapidly changing job market, Pakistan has been recognised as a member of the 'Reskilling Revolution' initiative launched in the last week in Davos, Switzerland.

The Vice Chancellor National Skills University, Islamabad Professor Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar has appreciated the government commitment towards reforming skills education in the country and being recognised as a member of the 'Reskilling Revolution' initiative.

Other partner countries of this unique initiative focusing on the upskilling and reskilling of one billion workforce by 2030 are India, Oman, Russian Federation, and the United Arab Emirates.

The ‘Reskilling Revolution is in response to the impending challenge that technological advancements and industrial revolution is bringing rapid changes in the job's markets. Several current job opportunities will be wiped out due to technological advancements. The existing and upcoming workforce must equip themselves with the skills necessary for new jobs through upskilling or reskilling methodologies; otherwise, they might face hurdles to continue their existing jobs or find a new one. The ‘Reskilling Revolution’ will cope with this impending global challenge. Ultimate objective is to equip one billion people with skills necessary for jobs in technological oriented job places.

In the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos2020, it has been decided to strengthen the program titled 'Closing the Skills Gap Accelerator.' This program focuses on three levels including national level action through public and private partners, global learning network following champion countries like Singapore and closing the skills gap playbook that describes tools, resources, and processes designed by respective countries governments to comply with requirements of the initiative.

Currently, Oman is the only partner country having this setup in place with an appropriate action plan. The United Arab Emirates showed its commitment to comply with requirements of the 'Reskilling Revolution' and is also providing seed money for its implementation. The members of this program will continue to increase and the target for current year is to have total fifteen members.

Professor Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar considers Davos 2020 'Reskilling Revolution' a unique opportunity for the education system of the country holistically.