1,900 Students Graduate From U.S.-Funded ‘Employability' Skills Training

September 25, 2010

Islamabad - Two hundred students, out of 1,900 nationwide, attended a graduation ceremony in Islamabad today that marked their completion of a U.S.-funded "Employability" skills training program.

The students are part of a larger group of 10,000 who are participating in a Rs 1.3 billion ($16 million) vocational training program that the U.S. Agency for International Development is funding in partnership with Sarhad University. The program is aimed at unemployed and underemployed young people. Half of the participants in the program are women, and many are from North Waziristan.

The "Employability" skills training includes instruction in defining career objectives, interview and resume-writing techniques, basic interpersonal skills and information technology orientation.

"It is indeed a privilege to be associated with this program in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has undergone severe hardships in the last few years," University Vice Chancellor Salim-ur-Rehman said.  "Our university is only nine years old but has moved ahead nine-fold through this program.  We are confident we can take this vision forward to the benefit of the youth in Pakistan and its economy."

Sarhad University is taking a leadership role in replicating this model for other universities across the province to reach an even greater number of university students. Sarhad University also has integrated the new course into its core curriculum.