KARACHI, Jan 17: Shell Pakistan, a multinational oil distribution company, has received 8,000 job applications without asking for one or placing any advertisement in the newspapers, Saleemuddin Ahmad, external affairs director, Shell Pakistan, disclosed at a press briefing on Friday afternoon.
He did not elaborate on academic and experience details of the applicants, nor gave any age indication of those who sought jobs in Shell Pakistan but expressed helplessness in offering any jobs.
What goes without saying is that all the applicants are educated and are in the age group where they are looking for suitable jobs. That these applicants did not wait for any formal call from Shell Pakistan in newspaper advertisements show how much desperate they are.
This situation speaks of the growing poverty, rising unemployment, virtually no opportunities as markets are shrinking, industries are crippled under the impact of heavy tax burden, unbearable utilities tariff structure and too high financial cost. In this utter dismal business scenario Shell Pakistan has taken up ‘Tameer’ initiative to motivate young men and women to set up their own business.
Saleemuddin Ahmad volunteered the information on Friday about the job applications received by his company on the occasion of launching of Tameer, a public service programme which aims at “promoting the spirit of enterprise in young people by helping them to develop skills needed for launching and managing new business enterprises”.
“Shell Pakistan has created a fund of Rs15 million for Tameer project,” he announced, while stating that Shell Tameer programme will be managed by a team of seven members. Three are from Shell Pakistan and four from among prominent citizens.
Shell Pakistan has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Institute of Business Administration to provide training and assistance to the IBA graduates who will take up their own business. Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) has also been involved in the programme under which workshops will be held in 10 districts.
“No financial support,” Saleemuddin Ahmad emphatically pointed out when asked if the programme has any room for financial assistance to those who want to set up their business.
The main objective of the programme, he spelt out, was to address the growing unemployment problem by helping the young people take up the challenge of starting a business.
“It does not only lead to self-employment, but also results in job creation for others also,” he observed while expressing the hope that “Tameer will have a ripple effect”.
“We entertain all business ideas no matter how wild they may look,” Ms Karen Bellis of Shell Foundation, UK, responded to newsmen queries. Tameer is an adaptation of the sustainable development programmes run by Shell Foundation globally under the name Shell LiveWire. It has been introduced in Pakistan as a pilot project.
Initially, 2,000 young people in the age group of 18 to 32 will be scrutinized and ultimately 400 of them will be imparted training to plan, launch and manage new business enterprises.