CM launches project to equip youth with skills.

LAHORE -- Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar on Saturday inaugurated the Chief Minister Skilled Youth Programme. An amount of Rs1.5 billion has been allocated for the programme. Initially, 56 courses according to market needs for to 150,000 youth.

Usman Buzdar, while addressing the inaugural ceremony, said that initially the programme would benefit more than 150,000 youth while its scope would be enhanced gradually in four years by including 875,000 more youth in it.

He said that approximately 60 per cent of national target of provision of employment would be completed under the Punjab Growth Strategy 2023. He said the programme was a reflection of Prime Minister Imran Khan's vision for the youth and an important step towards fulfillment of that promise made with the people by the PTI regarding creating job opportunities.

He said that joint venture of public private partnership was a proof of successful economic policies of the government. CPEC projects were being speedily completed with the cooperation of China. More than, 11 projects of Punjab were included in the nine sectors of the CPEC. In the context of the CPEC 'Chief Minister Skilled Youth Programme' was of great significance and need of skilled workers in Punjab for the CPEC could only be fulfilled by this programme.

Initially, 56 courses for 150,000 young people

He said that skilled youth was an asset for any state and their role for the development and progress of the country was of great importance.

He said that no attention was given in the past to enhance the capability of TEVTA, adding that it was struggling to provide new skills to the youth according to the latest technology and need of the time. The Punjab government would ensure provision of resources required for this mission.

The PTI government believed in the empowerment of women and struggling to create economic opportunities for them. A number of courses were being offered especially for women in TEVTA, the CM said.

The Punjab government was working for setting up four technical universities in Punjab. Punjab Tianjin University Lahore and Punjab University of Technology Rasool were providing modern technical training, he said.

University of Technology and Mir Chakar Khan Rind University of Technology would be set up in Rawalpindi and DG Khan, respectively, he added.

He said BS programmes were being offered to the youth in the institutions supported by TEVTA. Syllabus of technical institutes run under TEVTA was...