PESHAWAR, Jan 8: The NWFP government is planning to launch a special skill development project by making technical training compulsory in public sector schools besides initiating special courses for unemployed youth.

The concept paper for the project approved by NWFP Chief Secretary Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi has recently been sent to the chief minister's secretariat for further action, an official told Dawn.

A committee, headed by Special Secretary Arbab Shahrukh, has been formed with additional secretaries of school and literacy, industries, agriculture, planning departments and people from the private sector as its members.

The official said the committee would formulate recommendations for designing the project by consulting the federal and other provincial governments.

The concept paper suggests that the project will address the issue of unemployment in the province that was one of the main reasons behind growing crimes in the society. Under the project, students and unemployed youth will be given training in various skills making them stakeholders in the prevailing economic system of the country.

Every student of the high school will be given training at least in one trade, while unemployed or less educated people could also be trained through such system by initiating evening classes in schools.