KARACHI: The Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) and National Vocational & Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a collaborative partnership between the two institutions for enhancing demand-driven skills training in the country.

The MoU was signed by Chairperson NAVTTC Gulmina Bilal Ahmed and President KCCI Iftikhar Ahmed Sheikh during a meeting held at KCCI wherein DG NAVTTC Sindh Azizullah Chandio and Chairman of KCCI’s Special Committee for MoU Implementation Junaid Esmail Makda were also nominated as focal persons who have been tasked to ensure full implementation of MoU in letter and spirit. The meeting was also attended by Senior Vice President Altaf A. Ghaffar and Vice President Tanveer Ahmed Barry and KCCI Managing Committee Members.

Speaking on the occasion, Chairperson NAVTTC Gulmina Bilal stated that under the MoU, NAVTTC will be imparting special trainings to youth and wherever felt necessary, the curriculum will be modified as per requirements of the industries after consultations with stakeholders through a feedback mechanism. “Our aim is to ensure availability of maximum number of employment opportunities to youngsters along with on-the-job training so that they could become a valuable source for prosperity, not only for industries but also for the economy”, she said, adding that NAVTTC’s collaboration with the largest and most robust Chamber of Pakistan would definitely prove favorable for the economy as NAVTTC-trained youngsters will play a constructive role in enhancing the overall production of industries as well as the exports, which would help in towing the economy out of crises.

She informed that NAVTTC acts as a regulator responsible for supervising and monitoring the activities of more than 5,000 public and private sector vocational training institutions so that all these remain active and continue to impart quality training to youngsters.

President KCCI Iftikhar Ahmed Sheikh, in his remarks, extended full support and cooperation to NAVTTC in addition to stressing the need for making joint efforts so that the youngsters could be effectively trained as per industries’ requirements.

He also advised Chairperson NAVTTC to arrange some kind of seminar or a workshop at KCCI wherein maximum number of KCCI members would be invited so that the business community could be acquainted about the services being provided by NAVTTC.

Chairman KCCI’s Special Committee for MoUs Implementation Junaid Esmail Makda, while highlighting some of the salient features of the MoU, informed that the MoU focuses on providing a platform where both parties would interact in promoting skills training, improving skills qualifications and provide on-the-job training and placement opportunities through KCCI network of businesses and industries.