ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed the desire that the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training should immediately consider the feasibility of setting up a National Skills University in the federal capital.
The initiative should be taken to address the shortage of skilled human resource at all levels. Under the umbrella of the National Skills University, skills development centres in Karachi, Hyderabad, Quetta, Gwadar, Multan, Peshawar, Kohat, Lahore, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Faisalabad and other developing industrial zones could be set up subsequently or simultaneously.
For determining the areas of skill development, a broad and comprehensive exercise should be undertaken with representatives of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and organisations of all the major export sectors, according to an official document. The prime minister observed that development of skilled human resource was prerequisite for transition of middle income economy into high income group with equitable resource distribution as an inherent output.
He further observed that the quality of skill development was also a major limitation which was affecting the competitiveness of Pakistan’s export industry. It was, therefore, imperative that a well-coordinated exercise should be undertaken for skill development of workers of all categories and capacities across the country, he added.
The job market in Pakistan repeatedly faces shortage of skilled human resource at various levels for which a number of attempts have been made by the government and various organizations to bridge the gap. However, it remains a fact that availability of properly trained skilled workers in most of the development sectors is a major challenge.