Punjab launches outreach to link skilled workers with overseas jobs

LAHORE: The Punjab Skills Development Fund has begun engagement sessions with licensed overseas employment promoters as the provincial government pushes to connect skilled workers with legal job opportunities abroad and ease the cost of migration.

More than 75 overseas employment promoters from Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Abbottabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Mardan, Quetta, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Lahore, Bahawalnagar, Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Multan, Toba Tek Singh and Rahim Yar Khan were briefed on Parwaaz Card eligibility, application procedures, verification, financing and the responsibilities of different stakeholders.

Adnan Afzal Chattha, chairperson of the Punjab chief minister's taskforce for skill development, said the government was ready to tap overseas markets where demand for trained workers was rising, particularly in the Gulf Cooperation Council and Malaysia. He said, "We encourage overseas employment promoters to expand ethical recruitment opportunities for our youth, and the government will continue to facilitate this collaboration."

The Parwaaz Card scheme is intended to help skilled workers across Punjab cover pre-departure expenses after securing overseas job offers. The initiative targets financial hurdles that can block migration and is focused on opening safe and lawful employment pathways in sectors including construction, hospitality and healthcare.