Skill city in Punjab

2026-03-23 - 22:00

IN a highly laudable move, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has granted in-principle approval for the province’s first “Skill City,” directing officials to submit detailed plans at the earliest. The proposed project will establish technical education institutes aligned with industry needs, while existing vocational institutions across Punjab will be upgraded into Centres of Excellence. To enhance global recognition and quality, the province’s Technical and Vocational Education Board will seek affiliations with institutions in Scotland and the United Kingdom. The contours of the plan and the remarks made by the Chief Minister while chairing a meeting on “Matric Tech” and school-based skills development indicate that the provincial government is fully alive to the ground realities and emerging scenario as far as education and employment are concerned. Job opportunities in the public sector are squeezing due to continued focus on privatization, closure and merger of institutions and abolition of vacant posts. More and more people used to proceed abroad especially to the Gulf countries for employment but economic constraints imposed by the ongoing war are forcing employers to review their manpower requirements with implications for our labour force. Therefore, the initiative of the Punjab government to establish Skill City is both relevant and timely as it is aimed at imparting market-oriented skills to students. Experts have long been drawing attention towards outdated syllabus and quality issues and with this in view the focus on affiliation of the technical boards with reputed institutions of the UK and revision of the syllabus is likely to address these concerns. The plan to introduce market-oriented technical education at matriculation level will equip students with skills like graphic design, media production, fashion design, coding, tourism, electrical work, plumbing, solar systems, culinary arts and allied health, ensuring better job prospects or self-employment.