Pakistan is home to a rural population experiencing chronic poverty, with limited access to human resource development. Currently, 120 million people in the country are under the age of 30, with less than 1% having received skills training.Companies operating in rural areas are forced to employ trained resources from elsewhere, furthering unemployment and economic marginalization in surrounding communities.

By 2050 the country’s working population will be 236 million, of which less than 2.5 million will have received skills training.

In serving as a change agent, Pakistan Chemical & Energy Sector Skills Development
Company (PCESSDC) was established in 2009 as a non-profit public-private partnership, providing impoverished youth with access to high quality skills training.

The Technical Training Center offers Diploma’s of Associate (DAE) Mechanical & Chemical Engineering, and includes various vocational skills, including Welding Training (Basic / Advanced), Carpentry Training, Plumbing & General Fitting Training, Auto Electrician Training and Computer Graphic Training among others.

TTC is a capacity building initiative that trains impoverished young men from rural areas, allowing for individual and community empowerment, poverty alleviation, and a mind-shift towards a knowledge based economy.

One such example is Mohammad, a 3rd year student at TTC, who hails from Ghotki, Sindh. A bright young boy and the eldest child of his parents, Muhamad was left with the responsibility of financially supporting his family of six after his father passed away. He is hopeful about the future due to the skills he is learning at the TTC, “Today I see the value of education. Studying to become a mechanical engineer, I will provide for my family and uplift my community. This opportunity will keep us from starving, by God’s grace.”

PCESSDC’s faculty is made up of highly qualified members with a wide breadth of experience.
The institute is managed under the leadership of Brigadier Raja Ali, who has 30 years of experience in skills training and capacity building. TTC students recently secured 8 out of 10 of the top positions in provincial board examinations.

Institutions like the TTC are integral to Pakistan’s future, as skills development improves skill levels of a workforce, impacts positively on economic growth, raises productivity levels, and reduces unemployment. In addition, skills development builds capacity by generating employment in less developed regions, bridging the gap in regional disparity.