Islamabad: The Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) inaugurated a two-day Naukri Ya Karobar Convention at a local hotel in Islamabad, where NyK operators will showcase their successes and the NyK concept will be shared with participants so that they can replicate the model for the economic betterment of their communities. PPAF will also introduce the NyK Franchise to participants, elect a NyK Franchise Council and build the capacity of operators on franchise management at the Convention.
As the name suggests, the NyK brand focuses on both ‘naukri’ or employment and ‘karobar’ or self-employment and enterprise development. PPAF invests technical and financial resources in programs that transform the more marginalized and vulnerable segments of the population including the youth into empowered components of their communities.
By June 2015, PPAF had established a total of 76 NyK Centres across Pakistan and 20,733 men and women had registered with the Centres. There have been a total of 6,605 referrals, 2,652 successful placements and 2,578 businesses established. The NyK Centres have explored 327 different employers including opportunities overseas, industries, NGOs, Government departments, construction companies, and private schools, amongst others.
Dr. Syed Asif Hussain, Group Head Grants, said,
“The proof of this sustainable concept is established with the fact that ppaf has not invested in a single penny to establish these centers accept two persons trained on employment cycle and enterprise development. However all operational management expenses are borne by the community themselves.”
In terms of opportunities, one of the biggest, untapped sectors in Pakistan is the service industry, where there are immense job and entrepreneurial opportunities in both the formal and informal sector. NyK Centres do more than just link employers with employees; they also provide capacity building services and host activities such as job fairs and exposure visits.
Samia Liaquat Ali Khan, Group Head, Compliance and Quality Assurance Group, said,
“PPAF believes in developing institutions of the poor as a means of empowering them. The NyK brand is one such institution. PPAF owns the NyK brand and will encourage current NyK operators to form a self-governing body for operating and spreading the NyK franchise for the benefit of vulnerable communities. NyK will therefore be an Operator-Governed Franchise (OGF) for employment promotion for the poor.”
There is a need for more NyK Centres across the country as approximately 60 percent of the population of Pakistan is below the age of 25. The youth must be either gainfully employed or given the skills and opportunities for self-employment which is why PPAF is facilitating the spread of NyK through a franchise model. PR
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