ISLAMABAD: The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has been trying to diversify its financial assistance scheme and in this connection it has succeeded in finding job placements for 13 of its beneficiaries in an international food chain.

These poor people have been issued appointment letters by Pizza Hut to work in its newly-opened branch in Quetta. Already, four beneficiaries of BISP have been given jobs by the food chain in Karachi.

The BISP has signed MoUs with the Korangi Association of Trade and Industries (KATI), Daewoo Pakistan Bus Service and other trade associations for providing job opportunities to its beneficiaries.

Recently, the BISP singed an MoU with the SITE Association — the largest industrial zone in the country with over 3,500 industrial units and over 500,000 workers in various capacities.

According to the MoU, SITE has offered placement of successful BISP programme trainees in industries along with providing on-the-job training in different trades.

The SITE Association will determine the needs of the industry and skills development training would be provided accordingly to the beneficiaries by the BISP, while their placement in the industry will be ensured by the association

The social safety net is also imparting vocational training to its selected beneficiaries under its vocational training programme namely ‘Waseela-i-Rozgar’ through public and private sector training institutes, so as to inculcate such skills into the beneficiaries, or their nominees, which would enable them to earn a respectable and decent livelihood.

BISP Chairman Enver Baig has said that his organisation has started to go a step further in providing relief to impoverished and vulnerable segments of the society.

Vocational training and job placements have been arranged for BISP beneficiaries in order to enable them graduate out of the programme by earning a sustainable livelihood, he hoped. He termed it a landmark achievement resulting in MoUs with a number of international companies.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2014