The government of Punjab needs to increase five percent more quota for women employment and the Punjab Job Portal and Business Training Programmes should be extended to university and district levels, including district Layyah.
This was recommended by youth delegates of district Layyah while presenting a Charter of Demands (CoD) during attending a two-day workshop in Lahore. A youth development organization Bargad in collaboration with OXFAM organized this event, titled "Workshop on Punjab Youth Policy (PYP) 2012: Orientation & Making Synergies with Youth of District Layyah."
Twenty youth delegates including 15 girls from district Layyah participated in the workshop, which aimed to make synergies of Empower Youth for Work (EYW) Program, being run in district Layyah by Bargad and Oxfam, with Implementation of Punjab Youth Policy 2012 and seek the government support to empower young people especially young women in district Layyah through life skill, right based and entrepreneurial skills education; financial and technical business development support; and sustainable livelihood.
Youth delegates of the workshop prepared a Charter of Demands according to pressing needs of district Layyah and aligned with stipulations and pledges of the Punjab Youth Policy 2012.
The Charter of Demands urged the government of Punjab to establish skill development facilities up to the union council level and introduce courses in shoe making, solar repairing, knitting, shorthand, English and Chinese language speaking, entrepreneurship and soft skills etc. It further proposed to train both male and female with modern agricultural techniques and provide career counselling programmes an Interest free loans for youth in district Layyah. Small Industries Corporation should extend its services to district Layyah. There was also a need to upgrade existing intermediate colleges for women in district Layyah to the status of post graduate institutions.
Layyah youth also viewed that especially the girls faced mobility issues in education and employment. Safe work and educational places for females were needed, the Charter of Demands added.
The Charter of Demands was presented to government representatives, who participated in proceedings of second day of the workshop. The participating government officials included Hamza Tariq Chief Minister's Special Monitoring Unit, Salman Amin Punjab Information Technology Board, Muhammad Shahid Labour & HRD Department and Mehmood ul Hassan PIU-PSDP.
Awais Saeed Piracha Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industries (LCCI), Kamran Shams and Shahid Safdar Akhuwat, Nabila Malick Rahnuma FPAP, Rizwan-ul-Haq UNFPA and Sumera Asif RCDP were also among the workshop participants. Seher Afsheen from OXFAM said after its completion the EYW Program looks forward to confident girls, who would independently contribute to their own well-being and uplift of their families.
Sabiha Shaheen, Executive Director Bargad lauded the efforts of district Layyah youth to strive for decent work and economic opportunities. She said that the project initiated by Bargad and OXFAM will prepare 17000 youth from Layyah including 70 percent girls for their economic uplift.
Tehmina Habib, Deputy Secretary, provincial Youth Affairs Department also spoke at the occasion and appreciated the workshop for linking economic needs of Layyah youth with the implementation of Punjab Youth Policy 2012.