By Ijaz Kakakhel

The federal government has provided more than 600 training seats for Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, under the Prime Minister Youth Skills Development Program during 2024–26, aiming to equip the youth with market-driven technical and vocational skills for both local and international job markets.

According to a National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) document available with Wealth Pakistan, a total of 611 seats have been distributed among various public and private training institutes in Chitral across trades ranging from information technology and digital skills to hospitality, fashion design, and technical education.

Among the major beneficiaries, Drosh Institute of Computer and Technical Education received allocations for several modern trades, including beautician, general electrician, graphic design and video editing, Amazon Virtual Assistant, and fashion design and dressmaking.

The institute was allocated 15 seats for beautician training, 39 for electrician training, and 20 each for graphic design, virtual assistant, and fashion design courses.

Similarly, Government Technical and Vocational Center (Women), Chitral City, received seats for cooking and chef training, fashion design and dressmaking, and office management programs.

The institute was allocated 40 seats for cooking and chef training over two years, along with 20 seats each for fashion design and certificate courses in office management.

Government Technical and Vocational Center for Women, Booni, was allocated 20 seats for graphic design in print media and 40 seats for front desk manager and receptionist training.

Likewise, Government Technical and Vocational Center (Boys), Chitral City, secured seats for fashion design and dressmaking, web development, and woodwork programs. Each trade was allocated around 20 seats under the program.

Hashoo Hunar Training Center (HHTC) also emerged as a key participant in the initiative, receiving allocations for culinary arts – professional cook and front desk management courses. The center was allocated 39 seats for professional cook training and 48 seats for receptionist and front desk management courses.

In the digital skills category, Actim Solution Private Limited-UOC Chitral received seats for web development, digital marketing, search engine optimization, and graphic design and video editing, with 20 seats allocated to each program.

The Department of Economics at the University of Chitral was allocated 40 seats for a travel and tourism management program, reflecting the growing importance of tourism-related employment in the scenic northern district.

Meanwhile, Moncsoft Technologies Private Limited and Noor Vocational and Technical Training Institute also received allocations for digital marketing, office management, fashion design, and electrician training programs.

The program aims to bridge the gap between education and labour market needs by focusing on industry-oriented training. The initiative is expected to particularly benefit youth in remote areas of Chitral by improving access to modern technical education and self-employment opportunities.

Credit: INP-WealthPk