CHITRAL
The Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) organised a one-day National Coalition of Employer Convention in the scenic region of Gilgit.
Vice Chancellor (VC) Karakoram International University attended the event as chief guest.
The principal objective underpinning this convention was the cultivation of steadfast commitments from employers, with a particular focus on delivering gender-responsive and employer-initiated training, apprenticeships, internships, and employment opportunities for the burgeoning youth population of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral.
At this juncture, Syed Harir Shah, President of the Chitral Tourism Association, delivered an empirical learning base address.
He underscored the pivotal role of the tourism sector, accounting for 10 percent of global employment, and notably, over 53pc of these opportunities being availed by women, rendering it the foremost sector for female employment worldwide.
Syed Harir Shah lamented Pakistan’s relatively modest share in this domain and emphasized the imperative of enhancing employability for young graduates and women in the Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral regions.
Drawing attention to the 2023 World Tourism Day theme, “GREEN INVESTMENT,” he accentuated the necessity of knowledge and skill development training to ameliorate labor market disparities while concurrently fostering women’s leadership and entrepreneurship development.
Mr Shah further urged the AKRSP to align its programs with the global agenda of the United Nations World Tourism Organization for the current year’s theme of knowledge, skill and capacity enhancement, entrepreneurs development, and women leadership for generating more jobs/employment and business opportunities for the youth and women.
He elucidated the successful collaboration between the Chitral Tourism Association and AKRSP in organizing the recent World Tourism Day event in Chitral and the internship program for the promotion of sustainable, regenerative, and transformative tourism in Chitral to complement the overall global agenda of SDGs-20.
This approach aligns with the broader vision of empowering the youth and enhancing their employment prospects in the Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral regions.
Speaking on the occasion, Professor Mansoorulla Baig, a prominent scholar from Chitral also highlighted the significance of digital skills and knowledge in job creation and business development in today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world of globalization and connectivity.
“Digital skills enable individuals and businesses to access a global market, and support in job creation businesses evolve to adapt to the digital landscape, they require skilled professionals to manage their online presence, data analysis, digital marketing, and cyber security,” he said and added that digital skills empower individuals to start their own businesses more easily and affordably, including E-commerce, online marketing, and cloud-based tools, and digital tools/ technologies streamline business operations, and remote working opportunities.
