National Taskforce on Human Resource and Skill Development convenes second meeting to discuss long term national HR development strategy

Islamabad: The National Task Force on Human Resource and Skill Development convened its second meeting, chaired by Minister Ahsan Iqbal, to discuss a comprehensive national HR development strategy. The task force aims to address the skills gap in Pakistan and harness the country’s human resource potential. The meeting was attended by the Secretary Planning Commission, Members Planning Commission, and officials from the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), and National University of Technology (NUTECH). Other stakeholders in attendance included representatives from the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Pakistan Overseas Employment Promoters Association (POEPA), and Pakistan Software Exchange Board (PSEB).

Minister Ahsan Iqbal directed all stakeholders to prepare a National Human Resource Strategy within the next few months and share it with provinces for implementation. He emphasized the need for improving the education sector, stating, “Unless we make a united effort to consider education one of our top national targets, we cannot change the current state and quality of education.”

The minister also highlighted the need for connecting the labor workforce with the right opportunities, noting that 50 percent of Pakistan’s current labor workforce is confined to Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries. He advised relevant ministries and departments to create opportunities for sending labor to other countries in need of skilled labor.

Minister Iqbal stressed that the strategy must include a vision for training teachers effectively to bridge the gap of illiteracy, saying, “The strategy must include a vision of how many teachers need to be trained effectively to bridge the gap of illiteracy.” He also emphasized the importance of adopting target-based approaches to improve the quality of Pakistani human resource, stating, “The development of human resources is the key to the development of nations… adopting target-based approaches to improve the quality of Pakistani human resource is the only way forward to enhance workforce progress.”

The meeting concluded with a commitment to creating a National Human Resource Strategy based on domain-specific recommendations from all departments.