A National Task Force (NTF) on Human Resource and Skill Development has been formally constituted by the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives.
The choice was made on Thursday during a meeting presided over by Ahsan Iqbal, the planning minister. The Secretary of the Planning Commission, the Chief Economist, members of the Planning Commission, and other pertinent parties attended the meeting.
The task group will perform a thorough review of Pakistan’s present human resource development and skills gap and make recommendations for the best course of action for maximising the nation’s human resource potential. The NTF will be made up of representatives from pertinent public organisations as well as top private companies, including those from business, industry, and education.
A national strategy and action plan for the development of human resources will be created after an analysis of Pakistan’s skills shortage and condition of human resource development. In addition, it will create short-, medium-, and long-term action plans for human resource development after consulting with the necessary parties, such as government ministries, businesses, institutions of higher learning, and civil society groups.
Similar to this, the NTF will create novel strategies to solve the skills gap in the nation, such as fostering apprenticeships, internships, and on-the-job training, as well as improving the standard and applicability of educational and training initiatives. With pertinent international organisations, it will promote alliances and teamwork.
In the meantime, the minister stated at the introduction of the World Bank’s review report on Pakistan’s Human Capital that the fourth industrial revolution has brought new challenges to every sector and that the development of human resources is the key to the growth of nations. He added that in order to provide young people with a modern education, a scholarship programme has been launched at 25 of the greatest universities in the world.
The minister emphasised that the government is committed to empowering the youth as the incumbent government has taken several initiatives in this regard. He added that the initiatives of Empowered Youth, Pakistan Innovation Fund, and provision of agricultural loans have been initiated to give practical experience to the youth, make them skilled, and adapt their skills to the modern requirements.
In addition, he noted that by offering facilities and resources to advance the IT industry and freelancing, job chances are created for women and young people. “Our priority in the restoration and development of the country’s economy is to provide equality and equal opportunities among all the provinces and classes in the country,” he continued.
The minister announced that specific programmes are being started for Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the areas of infrastructure, public health, law and order, and education in order to integrate them into the national mainstream.
Additionally, he stated that 60,000 internships, laptop programmes, and agricultural loans should be implemented in private and public development projects under the Empowered Youth Programme in order to empower the youth and ensure their participation in national decisions.
