ISLAMABAD: About 700 students of 16 government-run colleges in the federal capital will be provided ‘hi-impact IT training’ to bridge the gap between academia and industry in a three-month training programme this summer.

A second meeting of the Prime Minister’s Youth Skill Development Program (PMYSDP) was held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of the caretaker education minister, who was briefed about the initiative in detail. The meeting was informed that the said initiative aimed to provide “cutting-edge IT skills to the youth to ensure their relevance in the ever-evolving job market”.

Education Secretary Waseem Ajmal Chaudhry endorsed the said programme and emphasised that the modalities may be formulated with the help of the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) and the Pakistan IT Industry Association among other relevant fora.

The education secretary told Dawn that almost 700 students enrolled in public-sector educational institutions would be selected for this training after a competitive process involving multiple tests. He said that the programme would be started this summer and would be completed by August. He said that students would be given ‘high-impact’ training in artificial intelligence, data sciences, and blockchain technology.

Education secretary says students from 16 public-sector colleges will be selected after competitive process

It is relevant to note here that the Prime Minister’s Youth Skill Development Program (PMYSDP) through the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) aims to provide skill-based training to 56,000 students across the country, which is scheduled to be completed in this fiscal year.

‘Inclusive project’

During the meeting, the caretaker education minister, Madad Ali Sindhi, said during the previous meeting he had increased the quota for women, which had been implemented. He said there should be a quota for differently-abled students and transgender persons in all NAVTTC programmes.

Mr Sindhi also said that the domain of NAVTTC should be extended to provinces as well and added that the involvement of universities in this regard would be a prudent move. NAVTTC Executive Director Muhammad Aamir Jan briefed the committee on the progress of the PMYSDP (2023-2024) project.

The meeting was also told that various courses under the programme, including IT, hospitality, languages, care workers, and gym/sports trainers, will now confer “international certification” enhancing the global prestige of the programme. NAVTTC Chairperson Gulmina Bilal Ahmad also expressed optimism about the programme.

“We aspire for these 56,000 youth to become valuable assets for the country. Our initiatives are geared towards inclusivity, accommodating youth from all strata of society,” she said. She also highlighted NAVTTC’s efforts to make the project inclusive for transgender and differently-abled persons by providing exemptions from the criteria approved by the steering committee and the NAVTTC.

It may be noted that the Federal Directorate of Education will implement the said programme in collaboration with the National Skill University, Comsats, the National University of Science and Technology, and the National University of Modern Languages.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2024