A surgical training school would be established shortly in Sialkot for providing skilled work-force for capacity building and up-gradation of surgical industry of Sialkot enabling it to cope and compete global markets easily.
Similarly, a pottery institute with the financial assistance of Asian Development Bank (ADB) would also be set up near Lahore for tracking the industry on modern and scientific lines.
A spokesman for Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) told Business Recorder here on Monday that TEVTA and surgical industry of Sialkot would jointly prepare the curriculum for the training school.
The curriculum would be prepared according to the modern trends and needs and requirements of the surgical industry of Sialkot.
It may be mentioned that the total export of surgical instruments is approximately 150 million dollars against the quantity of about 100 million instruments per annum.
As many as 1200 small and medium surgical units are functioning in and close to Sialkot with labour force ranging from 10 to 500 engaging 60,000 workers in total.
MONOPOLY: The average price of an instrument is 1.24 dollars, which is the lowest in the world whereas the average price of German made instrument is about 18 dollars.
Due to the low cost of locally made surgical instruments, the surgical industry is enjoying monopolistic position globally.
Apart from this, the Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority had formulated a strategy for producing maximum technical hands and trained industrial force in various trade fields.
At present, 402 training schools are functioning successfully in different areas of the province.
The induction of trained and skilled manpower in industrial sector would not only accelerate the productivity but also help improve the standard of the products.