LAHORE: Minister for Labour and Chairman Skill Development Committee Raja Ashfaq Sarwar on Thursday formally launched the initiation of Competency Based Training (CBT), a new approach to produce skilled workforce, from 60 vocational training institutes of the Punjab Vocational Training Council. He launched the CBT courses at a special ceremony organised by the Punjab Vocational Training Council (PVTC) at the Expo Centre here on Thursday in collaboration with the TVET Reform Support Programme, funded by the European Union and the governments of the Netherlands, Germany and Norway. The ceremony also marked the passing out of the 1st batch of graduates of PVTC under the Punjab Growth Strategy. The introduction of CBT is an important element of the National Skills Strategy (NSS), which is the basis of the ongoing TVET sector reform in Pakistan and being supported by the European Union, the governments of Netherlands, Germany and Norway. Provincial Minister for Zakat Malik Nadeem Kamran, former naval chief Asif Sandhila, Minister for Industries Chaudhry Muhammad Shafique, Zakat Secretary Nayar Iqbal, PVTC Chairman Faisal Ejaz Khan, head of TVET Reform Support Programme Hans-Ludwig Bruns and a large number of people from industry, various government agencies and civil society as well as young skilled persons attended the ceremony. Keeping in view the latest trends based on market demands through training need assessment after conducting demographics survey at tehsil level, PVTC has developed curricula for 92 various trades to cater for the growing demands of industrial, agriculture, health and service sectors. The training of these trades is being imparted through its 241 vocational training institutes (VTIs) throughout Punjab. So far over 450,000 trainees have successfully graduated from PVTC, out of which about 73 per cent have been gainfully employed or are working as entrepreneurs. The CBT programme provides the basis for the implementation of the National Vocational Qualifications Framework (NVQF), which the government has launched in March this year at a national level. Under NVQF, the training programmes are designed and delivered by adopting a systematic approach, focusing on better employability of the trainees with a strong link to the market. The duration of these new special training programmes ranges between 6-12 months. The CBT programme is also being implemented in 130 TEVT, off which 60 belongs to the PVTC in Punjab. Speaking on the occasion, the Raja Ashfaq Sarwar said that the incumbent government considers technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as a political priority and that is why a lot of emphasis is being given to this sector. He said Pakistan is blessed with a huge population of young people, which can be exploited for the economic growth of the country. Raja Ashfaq Sarwar resolved that the government will leave no stone unturned to reform the TVET sector because future of the coming generations relies on it. He lauded the efforts of the PVTC in providing employable skills to the youth of Punjab and hoped it will continue with the same zeal and enthusiasm. He congratulated the pass outs of various training programmes and urged them to adopt TVET as a career path because it will lead them and the country towards economic prosperity