PM Imran Khan will launch 'Hunarmand Jawan' programme today

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan will launch the country’s largest ever skilled development programme ‘Hunarmand Jawan’ today (Thursday), ARY News reported.

The programme will be carried out in next four years, costing 30 billion rupees and will facilitate youth through easy loans, professional capacity-building, start-ups and internships.

In first phase, around 170,000 youth will be given professional skill-based training, of which 50,000 will be trained in areas of artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud computing and other advanced areas of technology.

Similarly, 50,000 youth will be given training at Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority in conventional areas including auto-mechanics, plumbing etc., whereas twenty thousand youth will be given apprenticeship.

Around 75 smart class rooms will be set up to ensure easy access to skill and professional education besides provision of such training at 70 Madaris.

Five Centres of Excellence will also be established under the programme in collaboration with friendly countries.

Kamyab Jawan Programme

In August, the Prime Minister’s Youth Affairs Program (PMYAP) had launched the ‘Kamyab Jawan Programme’ for the socio-economic development of the youth in the progress of the country.

Read more: PM greenlights country’s biggest skill development programme

According to an official, under the program, a vast array of projects and initiatives would be undertaken in education, skill training, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement for the country’s youth.

These initiatives would focus on ‘3Es’: education, employment and engagement, while implementing six flagship programs.

Under the six flagship programs, the first will be ‘Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme’ as per which subsidised business loans would be provided to young aspiring entrepreneurs for the promotion of SME sector, the official said.

The second would be ‘Skill for All Program’, under which technical and vocational training is to be imparted to 150,000 youth both in conventional and high-end technological trades, he said.

The third initiative is ‘Startup Pakistan Program’ under which potential young entrepreneurs would be trained and mentored to conceive, incubate, and mature their business plans through access to digital incubation platforms.

The fourth would be ‘Green Youth Movement (GYM)’ under which small grants are to be provided to Pakistani youth to bring economic innovative solutions to tackle environmental and climate crises.

The fifth initiative, ‘Internship Program’, would impart effective internship programs both for undergraduate and postgraduate students to facilitate them in active participation in the private sector.

The sixth initiative would be ‘Jawan Markaz’, a one-stop solution for youth-related issues at the grassroots level and it would not only provide access to sports and other youth engagement activities but also provide them with career counseling, mentoring and access to a host of digital services, the official added.