Daily Times

Inauguration ceremony for Skills Development programme was held on December 6, 2018 at Rawalpindi, under FATA Economic Revitalization Project (FERP) funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the American people, implemented by Hashoo Foundation in partnership with United Nations Development programme -UNDP.

Under this four-month skills development programme, 240youth from three newly merged districts of Khyber, North Waziristan and South Waziristan will be trained on Hospitality Management and Marble Shining. The purpose of the event was to welcome the youth and orient the stakeholders and formally launch the skills development programme.

This skills development training programme will be implemented at the selected training centres of Hashoo Foundation such as Peshawar, Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Muzaffarabad, and Bhurban. Training will consist of theoretical as well as hands-on training. Hashoo Foundation will work to improve the English langue proficiency and interpersonal communication skills of trainees enabling them to provide better services to employers and will also include life skills training sessions in the curriculum customized for youth of the newly merged districts of KP.

Ms. Ayesha Khan – Country Director Hashoo Foundation said; The analytical review of the Khyber, South Waziristan and North Waziristan, reveals scarcity of livelihood opportunities at the local level. The local economy of the said districts are largely dependent on livestock and pastoral indulgencies, which is adopted at different scales i.e. subsistence level and at the micro level. While the communities of Tribal districts are adaptable to small-business scale by tradition, yet they are unlikely to change themselves in line with rapidly changing entrepreneurship traditions, which is where the training will prove helpful. As the industry starts to establish in these areas it would need industry-specific skilled labour and on the other hand, a huge bulge of unskilled, uneducated and unemployed youth of Temporarily Dislocated families (TDPs) needs not only to be constructively engaged but to have means of livelihoods. Hashoo Foundation foresees upcoming economic activity in these three districts in Hospitality Management sector, identifies and proposes skill development training on Hospitality Management specific trades for long-term livelihood opportunities and economic revitalization in the return areas. This is proposed with a holistic approach, utilizing and benefiting the area and all stakeholders.

Ms. Naoko Takasu Deputy Country Director, UNDP Pakistan shared her personal experiences and advised the trainees to take this training very seriously and to put a complete effort in learning new things and train their self for business and Job market. She further stressed that be patient and make hard work your habit and you will be rewarded sooner or later.

Mr. Shah Alam – Program Coordinator said that this Skills Development Programme will help provide sustainable livelihoods opportunities for the youth leading to long-term economic growth in three districts of KP.

Published in Daily Times, December 9^th 2018.