Textile industry suffers from famine of skilled workforce
16 Nov '05
2 min read
Textile industry of Pakistan is suffering from increasing shortage of skilled workforce. The industrialists requested government to open training institutes to overcome the shortage immediately by using Export Development Fund (EDF).
According to them, there was no need to erect new buildings because existing government establishments can be used as training institutes. Private buildings can also be hired for the immediate start of training institutes in and around the textile centres of the country.
Rana Arif Tauseef, chairman of the Pakistan Textile Exporters Association, said the export of textiles could have been expanded immediately if the government would have ensured the availability of skilled workforce and good infrastructure.
The total export of textiles was more than one billion US dollars, he added.
Many areas of Faisalabad, known as Manchester of Pakistan, are full of cheap but untrained workers. Due to lack of skill, they cannot get jobs in factories.
The private sector has been also working to open vocational training institutes in rural areas to assure availability of skilled workforce. Two such institutes have been established so far.
If the government had established training institutes from EDF contributed by textile exporters, the industry would have called trainers from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh immediately, Mr Touseef said.
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