Highlighting the importance of a skilled workforce for the socioeconomic development of the country, Punjab Minister for Industries, Commerce and Investment Mian Aslam Iqbal said on Tuesday that experts in skills training could contribute a lot to not only saving the planet but also offering skilled manpower to both public as well as private sectors. The provincial government’s efforts are aimed at having the best vocational and technical training system in accordance with international standards. “Today, while seeing all these graduates having a choice of the employment search as per the same demand-driven aspects of the industry is the real showcasing of what we had aimed for,” the minister remarked while addressing the fresh graduates at Hunar Rozgar Mela 2021. The Mela has been organized by the Technical Education & Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) Punjab, the donor-funded TVET Sector Support Program (SSP) implemented by National Vocational and Technical Training Commission, Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and Program Migration for Development (PME). The purpose of the Mela was to provide a platform to the job-seeking TVET graduates, undergraduates and returnees from the EU and GCC countries. These institutes have received assistance from the TVET SSP. Aside from the 62.5 million euros work in the TVET sector, the TVET SSP has recently launched a 5 million euros reintegration of returnees in Pakistan initiative to support returning migrants and local populations in their socioeconomic reintegration through skills, career counseling, and business start-ups measures. MNA Andleeb Abbas and Chief Advisor TEVTA, Skills Policy Punjab Usman Khan were also present. Through the event, the TEVTA Punjab successfully showcased the skills of training institutes in the province that are implementing competency-based training in industry priority economic sectors. As many as 1,100 graduates of TVET SSP from 21 different institutes visited recruitment kiosks of 30 national and multinational enterprises for exploring employment opportunities against 1,400 jobs while testing their interview skills in front of more than 60 recruiters in various leading economic sectors of Pakistan. In his remarks, Olaf Handloegten, GIZ Cluster Coordinator (Training and Sustainable Growth for Decent Jobs) said that the event showcased the potential of public-private partnership in the TVET sector of Pakistan, with both wide-range visibility of the Government of Pakistan’s commitment towards employment promotion and skills delivery, as well as of Business and Industry Associations working in the TVET sector. MNA Andleeb Abbas said that the participation of the private sector in the TVET SSP is critical for gaining access to quality skills development, on-job training opportunities, and establishing a conducive climate for employment.