The skill development training in marble and handicrafts is being arranged under Creative Entrepreneurship for Women (CREW) project which is funded by government of Germany.
The direct beneficiaries of trainings will be 560 women from the most vulnerable strata of areas surrounding industrial hubs in Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and rural Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
At least fifteen members of family or locality will indirectly benefit from the direct beneficiaries. Hence, 560 direct beneficiaries of training programme will further train approximately 8,400 women from their communities.
A total of 8,960 women will benefit directly and indirectly from the project which will broadly impact on security improvement and poverty reduction.
According to PASDEC here, through such activities, the Company aims to achieve gender parity by upgrading position of women within the value chain development by inserting high value added sub-sectors in which women can participate as entrepreneurs, producers and workers.
Two centers have been established at Charrah ICT and at Abbotabad, Hazara Division. The first Mosaic, Crafts and Inlay center has been established at Charrah in Islamabad and about 40 women have been enrolled for training.
Chief Executive Officer of PASDEC, Lutuf Rehman and officials of GIZ and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) visited the Center and expressed their satisfaction on training activities.
It is pertinent to mention that the Mosaic, Crafts and Inlay (MCI) as sub-sector of marble and granite possess immense potential for women entrepreneurship development, skill development, employment generation, promotion of an entrepreneurial culture and creation of value added products including decoration pieces and furniture from marble waste.