ISLAMABAD, July 11: Required skill development at the grass- roots level is of critical importance for sustained development, Mpenga Kabundi, International Labour Organization (ILO)’s Director Skills and Employability Department, said here on Monday. Mr Kabundi, who is currently visiting Pakistan on the invitation of finance ministry, told Dawn that though the country was moving in the right direction, it needed more investment in setting up vocational training institutes. He is here to give his input on the prime minister’s initiative for youth skill development.

In response to a question, Mr Kabundi said the ILO had carried out few projects for skill development in Pakistan which had been a great success.

With the ever-increasing globalization, developing countries like Pakistan have to make extra efforts to secure their share in the international market. Developed countries have captured a high value of the international market on the basis of their research and skill development, which the developing countries are lacking, he said.

“In the present world, countries need to be more competitive which can only be achieved through human resource skill development on a par with international standards,” Mr Kabundi said.

Referring to the country’s textile industry, the ILO official said it had great potential to compete in the international market. But, he said, to compete at the international level, the country needed skilled labour which had awareness of the needs of the world market.

“There is a great need to develop a synergy between the vocational teaching institutions and industrial sector because at present technological development is going at a great pace, and vocational institutions need to move with the same speed.

“However, what is happening right now is that when students reach industry they find their capacity lacking, a gap which is required to be bridged through upgrading level of education and training,” he said.

“We have to make it sure that when students leave a university or a vocational training institute, they are trained on a par with the industrial sector’s requirement,” he said.

The countries need to understand that what kind of skilled labour they need to keep their economies growing, he said. Developed countries are paying a special attention to their human resource development and are reaping the dividends, an area which has been neglected in developing countries.

Skill development at the grass-roots level is also an effective strategy for poverty reduction, Mr Kabundi said, adding, more skilled human resource could have an overall positive impact on the society.