KARACHI, Sept 23: Sindh Minister for Labour and Industries Mohammed Adil Siddiqi on Saturday inaugurated a short-duration technical training center as part of the Prime Minister’s Employment Programme.

Some 18,000 youth will be imparted training at 19 centres set up in the province under the programme. The trainees would be paid a monthly stipend of Rs1,000 during the training period.

Speaking at a ceremony held on the occasion, the minister said that under this special programme, a total of 10,700 unemployed youth would be imparted technical training at the 19 centres at a time. He said 14 more centres would be established in the rural areas of Sindh later.

He said the basic objective of the programme was to enable the unemployed youth avail job opportunities and curtail unemployment this way.

He directed Director of the Manpower and Training Directorate, Sindh, Karim Bux Siddiqi, to evolve a system of monitoring to ensure transparency in the implementation of the programme.

He said the programme would help alleviate poverty and overcome the problems being faced in the economic uplift of the poor lot.

Earlier, Mr Karim Bux Siddiqi, in his welcome address, said that a three-month technical training would be imparted to unemployed youth at these centres to produce 18,000 skilled workers per annum.

He said that the Directorate of Manpower had designed the training course in collaboration with the ILO. He said the programme’s scope would be extended to 14 areas, including the backward areas of Gulshan and Gadap towns in Karachi, Ghotki, Manjhand, Mirpur Sakro, Shahdadpur, Johi, Jhuddo and Bulri Shah Karim.

He said the funds for these centres would be provided by the National Vocational and Technical Education Commission.

Secretary Transport Rasool Bux Phulpoto, Commissioner SESSI Hashim Raza Zaidi, MD Small Industries Mahmood Ahmed and directors of the Labour and Industries were among those who attended the ceremony.—APP