Skills Development Department’s restructuring benefited the youth: Mian Mujtaba

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jun, 2026) Recognizing the importance of the workforce, the government took the first step to provide technical skills and other facilities to youth by restructuring the Skills Development Department and all the authorities and autonomous bodies related to this sector were consolidated into this single department. Along with this, a complete Skills Mapping of Domestic and International Markets was conducted to ensure effective planning, which helped more than 200,000 youth secure employment by equipping them with skills.

In his budget speech on the floor of Punjab Assembly here Tuesday, Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said that under Skills for All initiatives, a comprehensive training programme for special persons, women, and marginalized classes is being implemented through the Parwaaz Card Scheme for International Employment. Interest-free loans worth Rs. 6.86 billion are being provided to assist 45,000 youth in securing overseas employment. Under this initiative, loans ranging from Rs. 100,000 to Rs. 1 million are being provided. To make this process more effective, the Government of Punjab is introducing the Language Skill Programme at a cost of Rs. 3.54 billion, through which 30,000 youth will be trained in languages according to international employment market requirements.

To enhance industrial growth, exports, and productive capacity in Punjab, he said, the Punjab Industry Cluster Academia Linkage (PICAL) programme is being launched at a cost of Rs. 4.80 billion. Under this initiative, 25,000 youth will be prepared for critical industrial and export sectors.

In order to make the youth of Punjab competitive at a global level in the Digital Economy, training will be provided to 7,500 youth under the Advance Technology Program-II at a cost of Rs. 1.46 billion in Data Analytics, Cloud Computing, Cyber Security, AI, and other modern technologies.

Meanwhile, under the BPO Program-II, 10,000 youth will be prepared for international service sectors like Customer Services, business Processes Outsourcing, and global service domains.

To promote the economic self-reliance and digital inclusion of women, 15,000 rural women will be connected with freelancing and e-commerce opportunities under the Empowering Rural Women by Way of IT project at a cost of Rs. 01 billion, equipping them with digital skills and online employment avenues.

Keeping in view the demands of the future green economy, the Finance Minister said, the Skills for Agriculture & Green Environment (SAGE) program is being launched at a cost of Rs. 2.89 billion, under which 20,000 youth will be trained in green sectors like renewable energy, electric vehicles, green infrastructure, effective water management, and Climate Smart Agriculture.

To extend the fruits of development to every section of society, the Umeed - Skills for Inclusion programme is also being introduced, through which skills, employment, self-employment, and financial inclusion opportunities will be provided to 10,000 special persons and transgender individuals to connect them with the market. An amount of Rs. 1.58 billion has been allocated for this programme.

Under the vision of Economic Transformation, the Skilling Punjab programme is also being introduced, under which Rs. 42 billion has been allocated for Skills for Domestic Needs and Centres of Excellence. Through this, the government will upgrade the training system, and during the next three years, more than 162,000 additional individuals will be provided training via modern vocational institutions.

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Similarly, Rs. 51 billion has been allocated for Skills for Global Needs, under which 240,000 individuals will be trained in 12 international standard courses across construction, health, and automotive sectors through programmes like the Parwaaz Card, meeting global market demands. This initiative is expected to bring an annual increase of USD 468 million in foreign remittances.

For the promotion of technology and innovation, he said, Rs. 12.30 billion has been allocated for Frontier Tech Skills & Innovate Punjab, under which modern LMS platforms, incubators, and technology programs will provide training to 600,000 individuals, alongside supporting 150,000 frontier tech graduates and 1,200 startups. Meanwhile, a minimum participation of 40 percent for women will be maintained.

The Punjab Finance Minister said that under the Accelerate Punjab & Tech Skills program, Rs. 19.70 billion has been allocated for projects like Boot Campuses, the Chief Minister's IT Internship program, Makerspace, and international IT certifications. This will directly benefit over 70,500 youth, helping them achieve an expected monthly income ranging from one lakh to several hundred thousand rupees.

A Center of Excellence for Advanced Automotive Technologies will be established in Shahdara, Lahore, at a cost of Rs. 990 million. This center will provide international-standard training to 400 individuals every year.

For the upcoming fiscal year, a plan worth Rs. 7.40 billion has been proposed with the objective of preparing a skilled workforce for the construction sector, under which 67 new laboratories will be established across Punjab. Over the next three years, 222,000 individuals will be provided international-standard training and certifications. Furthermore, for training in the Hospitality and Health sectors, 60 new laboratories will be established at a cost of Rs. 3.96 billion. Similarly, the Chief Minister Youth Employability in BPOs program is being launched at a cost of Rs. 3 billion. Under this program, 25,000 youth will be trained during the next five years, with a target set to train 5,000 graduates in the fiscal year 2026-27.

In the fiscal year 2025-26, under the supervision of TEVTA, projects like the expansion of Hospitality Laboratories, promotion of overseas employment, and establishment of new technical institutions are included. Under the CM Skills Development project, IT Courses training was provided to 5,165 individuals, while more than 4,450 individuals are expected to benefit from the expansion of Hospitality Labs next year. Similarly, under the Overseas Employment Promoter project, a target has been set to provide overseas employment to 2,000 skilled youth.

During the fiscal year 2025-26, PVTC increased its annual training capacity from 60,000 to 75,000 youth. Laboratories across 5,677 institutes in 12 sectors were upgraded. 4,869 graduates were enrolled in short-duration courses. In partnership with more than 100 industries, over 1,600 trained youth gained admission under Work Based Training. Under the Chief Minister Skills Development program, a project worth Rs. 2.30 billion was launched to re-align youth training with modern market requirements, benefiting up to 5,000 youth so far.

Under the CM Skilled Punjab Programme implemented at a cost of Rs. 1.44 billion, he said, up to 2,200 individuals have secured employment opportunities abroad.