LAHORE: A contract signing ceremony between Punjab Skills Development Fund and Metro Cash & Carry International Holding BV took place at the PSDF Lahore Office. The Chief Executive Officer (PSDF) Mr. Jawad Khan signed the contract with the Managing Director Metro Cash & Carry Mr. Marek Minkiewics for imparting agricultural skills training under the scheme of “Big Push for Rural Economy – Agriculture Sector”. Director Metro Cash & Carry Mr. Pervaiz Akhtar, Head of Legal & Company Secretary Metro Cash & Carry Mr. Asad Malik, Chief Operating Officer Star Farm Pakistan, Member of Metro Group Mr. Muhammad Zeshan Saqib, Manager Marketing Star Farm Pakistan, Member of Metro Group Mr. Hasnain Hyder, Chief Operating Officer PSDF Mr. Ali Akbar Bosan and Manager Program Development PSDF Mr. Aftab Ahmad were also present at the occasion. Under the contract Metro Cash & Carry International will provide agricultural skills training to over 10,000 men and 2,000 women of 4 districts of Southern Punjab i.e. Bahawlapur, Bahawalnagar, Lodhran and Muzaffargarh. Both General and Specialized agricultural skills training will be imparted to the active agriculturists who aspire to achieve production complementarities in cotton, wheat & vegetables. With the General agricultural training there will be an expected increase of 10% – 15% in the production of cotton and wheat accompanied with the average increase of Rs.10,000 – Rs. 23,000 in household income. Moreover, under the Specialized agricultural training there will be an expected increase of 12% -17% in the earnings of the project beneficiaries as well. The trainings will enhance and cover the entire value chain across the agriculture sector. Since, agriculture sector accounts for 25.3% of the country’s total GDP with gradual declines experienced in the past as well, which is why this sector needs consistent consideration for such agricultural skills practices to be implemented in order to achieve the economies of scale with supplemented productions per acre. Majority of the country’s population is either directly or indirectly dependent upon agriculture sector which is the largest source of foreign exchange earnings as well. Therefore, the training imparted under the contract will not only help the farmers with supplemented productions and revenues but will also be equally beneficial to boost the country’s overall economy.

LAHORE: In its perseverance to promote quality vocational skills development, PSDF has launched its new scheme, Skills for Job 2015, to train more than 11,000 individuals in various employment-oriented trades. Contracts of worth eight hundred million were awarded to fifty two training service providers in a launching ceremony here at a local hotel. The scheme would target individuals belonging to the districts of Khanewal, Vehari, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Lodhran, Muzaffargarh and Rahim Yar Khan, in order to equip them with various need-based skills.

While addressing the media, CEO PSDF, Mr. Ali Sarfraz said that PSDF successfully trained more than 55,000 individuals since its inception. The scheme is another round of one of PSDF’s major training schemes, Skills for Job, under which individuals are imparted with technical and vocational skills that are demanded by the job market. He expressed his gratitude for the Government of the Punjab and Department for International Development UK (DFID) for patronizing the promotion of quality skills development in the province. He further said that the Fund is rigorously pursuing to enhance the role of local industry in the development of relevant skilled manpower for the country.

According to company spokesperson, under Skills for Job 2015, trainings will be imparted in diverse trade groups ranging from construction, automobile, electrical, mechanical, energy, garments, and hospitality and service sector. Through the launch of its upcoming training schemes, the Fund is going to train another pool of 80,000 individuals from the fourteen districts of Punjab.

Punjab Skills development Fund (PSDF) is a section 42 company, established by the Government of the Punjab in collaboration with the Department for International Development (DFID), UK. PSDF funds vocational training organizations for providing vocational and skills training to the poor and the vulnerable populations of fourteen districts of South Punjab – Bahawalpur, Lodhran, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalnagar, Vehari, Khaewal, Rahim Yar Khan, Lahore, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Chiniot, Narowal and Sheikhupura. Until now, PSDF has funded trainings of 80,000 men and women from its target districts of the Punjab under its various schemes for skill development. In future, PSDF plans to launch specialized schemes for labor-intensive sectors: Light Engineering, Footwear, Food Processing, Construction, Garments and Hospitality.

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LAHORE: Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) in its latest efforts to increase the supply of skilled labour in the country conducted a workshop on the “Skills Need Assessment for the Logistics Sector” in association with Pakistan International Freight Forwarders Association (PIFFA). The workshop brought together experts and stakeholders from all fields with in the logistics sector with the aim to identify the dearth of trained manpower and skills gaps prevalent in the sector.

Chairman PSDF, Dr. Ijaz Nabi, began his speech by providing a background of the Government’s initiatives for skills development in the province. He said that PSDF is focusing on the logistics sector as it has great potential for employability and growth. “This highly-productive sector is very labor-intensive and offers numerous entry-level jobs for unskilled workers as well as technicians,” PSDF Chairman said. He also described the general situation of Pakistan’s logistics sector, and also explained the strategic issues and obstructions faced by the sector. He then gave the audience a briefing on the goals and objectives of the workshop.

CEO, PSDF, Mr. Ali Sarfraz, in his opening remarks, said that the workshop will enable the organisation to design a scheme that directly addresses the needs of the logistics sector. He said that the feedback gathered through the experts provides a bird’s eye view of the trends in this sector, enabling PSDF to better align its efforts. The rationale behind each training scheme is driven by gauging the industry’s demand for skills and expertise in a particular sector. In the same verve, the valuable information revealed in this workshop will be worked on to launch a training scheme in order to support the logistics sector of the Punjab.

Addressing to the participants, Mr. Abdul Majeed Paracha, Chairman, PIFFA, said that non-trained workers impose severe limitations on capacity as well as the quality of work. He said that the association is optimistic that the workshop will prove very helpful in this regard. He added, by utilizing PSDF’s expertise in skills development, the logistics industry will get a much-needed boast as trained labour will be better equipped to take on the future challenges of the industry.

Punjab Skills development Fund (PSDF) is a section 42 company, established by the Government of the Punjab in collaboration with the Department for International Development (DFID), UK. PSDF funds vocational training organisations for providing vocational and skills training to the poor and the vulnerable populations of fourteen districts of South Punjab – Bahawalpur, Lodhran, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalnagar, Vehari, Khaewal, Rahim Yar Khan, Lahore, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Chiniot, Narowal and Sheikhupura. Until now, PSDF has funded the trainings of 40,000 men and women in its target districts of Punjab under its various schemes for skill development. In future, PSDF plans to launch special schemes for sectors: light engineering, footwear, food processing, sports goods, surgical instruments & cutlery and furniture.