About 3.2 per cent youth is entering every year into the job market without any proper vocational and technical skills and hence, its employability in the job market is one of the major challenges confronted by Pakistani, said Farooq Yusuf Acting President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI). Addressing TVET-Conference, he said that Pakistan has blessed with ultimate resources and our 45 per cent youth of productive age is major national asset provided it is equipped with market driven skills. "If we failed to absorb it for national growth, it may become a demographic explosion", he said and added that we must take necessary steps on war footings to impart them with much needed vocational and technical skills.
Appreciating the role of National Vocational & Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) in providing training to the Pakistani youth, he said that expats working in different countries or sending remittances of 20 billion dollar per annum which is 3 time more than the 6.6% extended funding facility of International Monitoring Fund (IMF)."The educated students also lack technical and vocational skills hence, their absorption in industrial sector is unviable", he told, adding that according to the available statistic 3.2 per cent youth is entering every year in job market but the ratio of job opportunity is only 1.4 per cent. He said that to achieve this apparently unachievable task, we must concentrate on increasing our GDP at the rate of 7 to 8 per cent per annum. He stressed the need that we should evolve a comprehensive strategy to provide jobs to 230 million youth during next 33 years.
He further said that government sector has no capacity to absorb this youth and hence, government must encourage private sector to expand and create maximum job opportunities within the prevailing circumstances. He said that our major industrial units should also establish their own training institutes to provide on-job training to their workers. ' The trained workforce would not only fulfill their in house needs with technological up-gradation but it could also be exported abroad to earn foreign exchange', he added.
Expressing concern over the poor representation of women in job market, he said that only 15 per cent women are present in the job market. Hence, they must be imparted technical training in relevant trade or sector to increase their employability, he added.
Sheikh Farooq Yusuf also stressed the need to enhance maximum budgetary allocation for education." it should be at least 6% of GDP and out of it, 50% should be earmarked for the traditional education and remaining 50% should be spent on technical and vocational training. He also appreciated the role of Zulfiqar Cheema Executive Director NAVTTC to impart vocational and technical training facility to the maximum youth in Pakistan.