LAHORE: Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to ensure provision of much-needed quality skilled manpower to the industry.
LCCI President Abdul Basit and Chairman TEVTA Irfan Qaiser Sheikh inked the MoU on behalf of their respective organizations here at Lahore Chamber. They also inaugurated a display center for Ceramic Art there. LCCI Vice President Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan, Irfan Iqbal Sheikh and Executive Committee Members were also present.
The agreement aimed at enhancing cooperation between the two organizations. LCCI and TEVTA will work together for promotion of ceramics sector and nominate focal person at LCCI, who will be responsible for establishing working relationship with TEVTA. LCCI will ensure availability of Display Windows at LCCI at a nominal cost for undertaking activities to exhibit the ceramic products of TEVTA subject to clearance of all related administrative affairs.
On this occasion, TEVTA Chairman Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that currently TEVTA was giving special attention to arranging jobs for its pass-outs. Pakistan had become the center of attention for world investment due to its geographical position in South Asia, he said and added that investors from developed countries were giving priority to expand their business in Pakistan. TEVTA in collaboration with national and multi-national companies, was introducing demand-driven courses to implement the vision of Punjab chief Minister so that youth of Punjab could get respectable job opportunities immediately, he mentioned.
Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that TEVTA was willing to work with LCCI for promotion of ceramics sector and nominate a focal person, who would be responsible for establishing working relationship with LCCI. He said that TEVTA would exhibit its Ceramic products at LCCI for commercial purposes through mutual understanding between both the parties and such exhibition would be carried out till the expiry of the project.
While, LCCI President Abdul Basit said that promotion of technical education was much-needed for GDP growth, and collaboration between the two institutions would ultimately bridge the skill gap that would lead to a quantum jump in the exports of the country by value-addition and responding to technological shift in the manufacturing, besides facing the challenges of globalization. He called for formulating policy for the promotion of demand-driven technical education and vocational training in Punjab under TEVTA. He said, Lahore Chamber would extend maximum cooperation to TEVTA officials in conducting Training Need Assessments etc. Abdul Basit said that present setup of technical training was not fully addressing the requirements of modern industrialization taking place in the country.
