The Turkish government will soon initiate a project of skills development in Pakistan aimed at producing skilled workforce for the local industry of hotel and tourism.

The plan to establish a state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence for Hospitality and Construction in Pakistan is underway in that regard, said Executive Director National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) Dr Nasir Khan.

In an exclusive talk with APP, he said that the centre would be established at the National Skills University in Islamabad under the skills development institution of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency.

Dr Nasir said that all the expenses of the project including hiring of the workforce and carrying out construction work would be managed by the Turkish government.

Under the project, he said, Turkey would support NAVTTC for the development of skills in Pakistani youth.

“It is the first project of its kind in Pakistan launched by Turkey as it has special expertise in the sectors of hospitality and construction in the world,” he added.

The establishment of a modern centre for excellence in hospitality would ensure that 1.5 million employment opportunities are available annually for the skilled workforce in the hotel and tourism industry of Pakistan, he remarked.

According to the NAVTTC data, currently, the country has more than 10,000 hotels including three, four and five stars with more than 50,000 rooms, he added.

The hotel and tourism industry of Pakistan produces employment opportunities for around 1.5 million people, which is 2.5 per cent of the total employment annually produced by the country, said Dr Nasir.

He hoped that the Turkish centre would increase the ratio of employment opportunities in the country.

“The Centre would not only ensure production of trained workforce for development projects of the country like China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) but also provide employment opportunities to youth in foreign countries,” said Dr Nasir.

He said the basic aim of the NAVTTC was to prepare a skilled workforce while equipping them with technical education to get jobs in the country and abroad.

The Turkish centre of excellence would be helpful for NAVTTC's ongoing efforts to arm the maximum number of youth with technical training, he added.

He said NAVTTC was making all out efforts for the uplift of technical and professional education, and recognised the need for more reforms in formal education for the same. He said that the world was ahead of Pakistan in such training programmes.

With the cooperation and support of Turkish skills development institutions, we would improve the quality of our own skill development educational institutions, he remarked.

The establishment of the centre is a positive step towards the prime minister's vision of a developed Pakistan, he added.