July 19, 2006	Wednesday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 22, 1427

LAHORE, July 18: The federal government’s programme – the Stitching Machines Operators Training (SMOT) scheme – for producing trained workers for the value-added textile industry was launched here at a private garments unit on Tuesday.

The scheme was inaugurated by Textile Minister Mushtaq Cheema, who also presided over a meeting of the Lahore Garment City Company.

Immi Garments became the first unit in the country to kick-start the programme by launching training for 20 persons at their manufacturing facility on Baidian Road.

The SMOT scheme has been initiated in view of low per capita productivity and under-utilisation of production capacity facing the garments sector because of shortage of trained labour.

The problem will be addressed through the implementation of the SMOT scheme. The federal government has already set up a Textile Garments Skill Development Board to initiate the training of labour working for the garments sector.

The SMOT scheme aims at creating public-private partnership whereby selected stitching units as training institutes.

So far 18 manufacturing units in Karachi, 11 in Lahore and three each in Faisalabad and Sialkot have been declared training institutes by the textile ministry under the SMOT scheme.

The units selected for implementing the scheme will provide training space, machines and fabrics for the trainees and will run eight weeks SMOT programme through master trainers working under their supervision. The government will pay a stipend of Rs2,500 per trainee and contribute to the cost of hiring master trainers.

Participation of women is being especially encouraged as these (selected) units will provide transport facility to the women trainees.

A monitoring and evaluation mechanism has also been set up by the textile ministry in coordination with the Textile Commissioner’s Office to evaluate and endorse the training by the regional technical training boards.