It is a fact that for the past several years, during the regime of the dictator, as well as the democratic kind of government, employment opportunities, particularly for the people of Sindh, were almost nil. One of the biggest challenges facing the government was to curb unemployment.
Obviously to create millions of employment opportunities, especially for the youth was almost impossible but the government of Sindh handled that worst situation in an impressive way to launch the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Youth Development Programme (BBSYDP) in the Sindh province.
It is a unique kind of programme. It not only provides training in various discipline but had also paying stipends to trainees, starting from three thousand, but gives free books, bags, notebooks and all other necessary raw materials. However, it is a good thing that the concerned institutes are also be facilitated with the entire raw material for the training and with the cost per trainee that is in stipends.
Also the trainees coming from more than 70-kilometre's distance is provided an extra amount of upto two to three thousand rupees with the stipends. Currently this program has been running in Sindh only, providing numerous trainings in health, education and literacy, works and services, forest and wildlife, information technology, transport, irrigation and power, manpower and training, agriculture, antiquities, livestock and fisheries, labour, women development, etc.
The duration of the training is three months to four years, including short as well as long duration courses, with different stipend packages. It is a misunderstanding that trainees would finally get permanent job or the stipend would continue till gets a job. The main purpose of this program is to provide some relief to the government sector jobs and to encourage the private sector so that on the basis of the training, the trainees may starts their own business.
Nevertheless, all efforts must be made to make this program a complete success and only after its successful implementation in Sindh, this program may be introduced in other provinces. Otherwise, there is a possibility that all things would end up in a mess and this programme could not reach its goal.
Further, if the government would announce some kind of micro-credit loans of upto Rs 100,000 for the passing out trainees so that they could open up their own businesses on the basis of their skills from the BBSYDP trainings it would be useful. In the future the government should make compulsory (pre-requisite) these BBSYDP trainings to those trying for government jobs so that the trainees may join the organisation with improved skills, or send those trainees with good marks, for further training or jobs abroad which would no doubt be a big achievement.