Gwadar: flood gates of skilled jobs for young locals

Youth of Gwadar accounting for 50 percent of Gwadar population, mostly impoverished, are going to be beneficiary of high-paid jobs with international qualification in Pakistan as well as the global market as Pak-China Technical and Vocational Institute (PCT & VI) is all set to function by recruiting first batch of Gwadar students in February next year.  

The development will unleash employment for Gwadar youth both male and females in Gwadar Port, Gwadar free zone first phase and second phase, export-oriented industries in the port and rest of other business activities to be generated under Gwadar master plan that reveals that the coastal city will create 1.2 million jobs for skilled workers and professionals with economic output exceeding $30 billion. 

Because around 80 percent of Gwadar people belong to fish-catching and fisheries related livelihood, so among other technical hands-on trainings, Institute will impart Gwadar Youth the professional knowledge of modern fishing practices, pre-post handling of fish in the boat & harbor, advanced fish net knitting, fish preserving, Ship-making, food preserving, business techniques and awareness of Pakistani & Chinese law for business.  

The first batch of about 400 students belonging to poor strata of Gwadar will secure their admission free of cost in PCT &VI built in October 2021 by China-aid at the cost of 83 million RMB under CPEC amid special efforts of Gwadar Port Authority Chairman Naseer Ahmed Kashani and China Oversees Port Holding Company (COPHC) Chairman Zhang Baozhong.

With technical and professional education, hostel and other allied facilities to be awarded to them free, Gwadar Youth (male and female) will prove to be an agent of change transforming a small fishing town to a modern smart city, said Sohail Asghar, project director of PCT & VI in an interview with Gwadar Pro.

He revealed that during a three-year course, students will spend one year in PCT & VI Gwadar and one and half years will be in the Shandong Institute of Commercial Technology (SICT) in China. Later, students will learn practical experience as an internee in courses’ related industry in China, he added. Getting equipped with high-tech professional education, he said, Gwadar youth will be in a high demand for Gwadar, going to be an economic and logistic hub, as well as foreign companies in China and around the globe. “SICT has also agreed to design curriculum in line with requirements of industries. They also consented to bear operational cost of the institute for 3 years for Chinese faculty members’ boarding and lodging expenses. The contact agreement with SICT has been submitted to the Ministry of Maritime Affairs for approval,” he added. 

Besides construction work, a number of allied works at PCT & VI are in progress at the cost of Rs. 168.532 million, out of which Rs. 60 million has been consumed. About the rest of Rs 107 million is pending for approval, he mentioned.   

GPA chairman Naseer Ahmed Kashani said that PCT & VI is the first development work in Balochistan under the preview of CPEC that has been completed three months before the schedule even during two years of Pandemic. The Institute will produce skilled human resources for port cities, he added. 

COPHC Chairman Zhang Boazhong said that “Young people of Gwadar are the main and fundamental stakeholders of Port City of Gwadar. Their participation in operation & management of the deep-sea port, participation in industrial and commercial businesses, and in urbanization processes is key to all long-term developmental initiatives. This PCT & VI aims to shape and enhance skills of active population of Gwadar to participate in the growth of the Port City.” 

Groundbreaking of PCT & VI was held on 16th December 2019. During the construction, it provided more than 1000 jobs for locals. This institute possesses 7,350 square meters as a total floor area comprising teaching buildings, training workshops, multi-function halls and dormitories for students and faculty.