Speakers on Friday called for equipping school-dropout people with skills in order to make them an active member of the society and to alleviate poverty from the country.

They addressed a certificates-distribution ceremony for skills development trainees arranged by University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) and Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) at New Senate Hall. As many as 200 students got the three-month training of the dairy and poultry sector without any fee and the Rs 3000 stipend was paid to each student.
Chairing the session, UAF Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan, said that skill development was prerequisite to achieve the goal of prosperity. He said that there are millions of children who don’t get the opportunity to go to high schools due to financial constraints. He added that if we want to compete with the rest of world, we have to promote technical and skilled based education. He said that universities are incomplete if there competence cannot favor people. All-out effort was being made on the part of the varsity to equip the students with skills, he said, adding that the UAF was offering 235 short term skill programs ranging from two weeks to three years. He said that the UAF was mulling establishing a technological school at the campus for providing the skills to dropouts. Talking about China Pakistan Economic Corridor, he said that the CEPC will not bring economic stability but also create numerous job opportunities for which skill manpower was essential and we have to prepare for it. He lauded the step being taken on the part of the government to refurbish the skills of the people that will enable them to earn their livelihood easily

Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Madiha Rana said that Punjab Government had earmarked Rs 4 billion additionally this year to provide interest-free loan from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh for skilled people. She said that under the Akhuwat, as many as Rs 20 billion was being disbursed as loan among the unemployed persons to make them self reliance. She said that the government was taking all tangible steps for the poverty alleviation and providing tremendous resources for the skill development. Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce (FCCI) President Ch. Muhammad Nawaz said that FCCI has many opportunities for skilled students in different manners like jobs and business. He said that they had established a cell of CPEC for business and information purposes. Prof Mehmood Ahmad Randhawa said that Punjab Government gave stipend of three thousand rupees to students. He said that development of any country was linked with the skilled manpower. He said that the West making the progress rapidly due to technological Renowned naat recitor Prof Abdul Rauf Roof recited naat before the gathering. Trainees Javed abd Mudassaor also spoke on the occasion.