KARACHI: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) held an awards ceremony here for 200 young women and men trained under the joint Youth Employment Project. The project provides training and job opportunities in the garment industry to young women and men from conflict- ridden and marginalised areas of Karachi. To date, the project has trained over 7,000 people in garment-manufacturing skills and provided job opportunities to more than 4,000 youngsters. USAID Provincial Director Denise Herbol and UNDP Country Director Ignacio Artaza also attended the ceremony. USAID Provincial Director Denise Herbol said, “This initiative has provided training and employment opportunities to youth from some of the most marginalised areas of the city. It has opened doors of opportunities, potentially securing the future of hundreds of individuals, who previously had limited education and no vocational skills.” UNDP Country Director Ignacio Artaza noted that “UNDP is working with various provincial governments, including the government of Sindh, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.” Trainees who received their completion certificates today were trained under this programme at Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority’s (STEVTA) institutes as well as other private institutes.