HYDERABAD: Suhel Kumar of Tharparkar had recently secured 1st position in Sindh Technical Board Examinations last year and acquired a diploma of associate engineering. He is among 29 fellows who were awarded a scholarship to acquire a technical degree from Technical Training Center, Daharaki, Sindh. 9 out of 10 positions from Sindh were grabbed by Thari students from the same batch.
Tharparkar is among the districts of Sindh where the industry is booming and the number of multi-billion dollar projects has been set up, while a few are in the pipeline. These projects ranging from mining, power, construction, allied engineering, services, and many others require trained human resources.
The industry, currently operating in Tharparkar prefer to hire local technically trained human resource, which cost them cheaper than hiring from outside provinces or even outside the district. Not hiring local human issues easily becomes political and local political parties and civil society groups exploit the discrimination and raise foul play.
Some of the companies operating in Tharparkar for coal mining, construction, and power generation projects, developing local human resources, and investing in youth to acquire technical training ranging from driving heavy dump trucks to operate high-end power plants.
Suhel Kumar said he won a scholarship under the Thar Associate Engineering Program (TAEP) of Engro Energy Limited along with 30 other students from Tharparkar. “We’ve completed our Diploma in Associate Engineering from Engro Daharki Technical College, while 140 others are enrolled to Technical Training College Mithi under Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training (STEVTA) through a transparent selection process,” he said. He said a few of the toppers have been called by one of the power generation companies for the interview and hopeful that they would be able to get suitable positions to serve our homeland, Thar.
Govt Polytechnic College Mithi is also offering associate engineer degrees to local Tharis in collaboration with numerous companies working in Thar. They have provided support by constructing a block and starting a new disciple of Mechanical Engineering, improving faculty and laboratories. Due to the lack of industry and commercial opportunities in Thar, the main challenge was to find skilled manpower for the industry flourishing in Thar.
Member National Assembly from Tharparkar, Dr. Mahesh Malani, when contacted, was of the companies and projects working in Thar must invest in local human development to acquire the most cost-effective human resource locally. More projects are coming to Thar and establishing plants in various sectors. “The Govt of Sindh is planning to invest more in Thar and investors are interested to find out profitable ventures,” he added. In order to make ventures and projects feasible in Tharparkar, investors should ensure that the projects should empower and economically benefit locals, he added.
The Sindh Government and Engro Corporation’s Public-Private Partnership joint venture is trying to create a model of local human resource consumption after imparting required technical training. Venture’s companies operating in Thar, like Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) and Engro Powergen Thar Limited (EPTL) are collaborating with Descon Training Institute (DTI), National Logistics Cell (NLC), Sindh Technical Education & Vocational Training Authority (STEVTA), AmanTech, Hunar Foundation to provide onsite and offsite specialized vocational training programs.
So far more than 2000 Tharis have benefitted from the program and have received the degree and non-degree skill development training in different trades like scaffolding, masonry, Steel fixing, Pipefitting, and driving and subsequently got employment in Block-II operations.
Naseer Memon, General Manager CSR for SECMC and Thar Foundation was of the view that for the provision of unskilled and unskilled training and job employments to locals, they have also established “Khushaal Thar’ centralized facility which registers local Tharis through a database.
“The centralized database is linked both to the project for industrial manpower requirements and to the community. Once entered into the database, the individual is trained and then presented for evaluation to be employed. He said under another program EPTL, through a transparent competitive process, selected 73 young engineers (Electrical and Mechanical) of Tharparkar and adjoining districts of Sindh and sent them for six months of intensive training in China. Those trained engineers have joined EPTL and serving at the power plant, he added.
Memon said Thar Foundation has recently initiated a 6-month vocational and technical training program for 450 local Thari people including 50 females in collaboration with Engro Foundation. Under the project, he added, 450 Thari youth will be trained with basic IT, livestock, stitching, and other relevant trades with 75% of employability, jobs & self-employability.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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