Saba Javed

A recently launched fellowship programme by the government is expected to select and train talented youth in Pakistan to become the future development leaders of the country, WealthPK reports. The Young Development Fellows (YDF) Programme is a great opportunity for the youth to develop interpersonal skills. In order to train young and talented people with outstanding academic backgrounds and positions for leadership, the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives has announced the first batch of the YDFs Programme under its project “Capacity Building and Institutional Strengthening.”

The main goal of the programme is to build the capacity of young Pakistanis in areas related to the formulation of public policy, development of communication skills, performance management and evaluation, project appraisal and strategic planning. The initiative seeks to use Pakistan's brightest minds in a range of sectors to improve long-term planning for the better future of the country. The YDF programme was launched with the vision to create a pool of 200 young development fellows over the period of five years, with 40 of them being hired each year.

Under the programme, the young fellows will get on-job experience while working under the supervision of the chiefs of different sections of the Planning Commission. They will be attached to the section to help in policy formation and research fieldwork where they will be expected to advance the unit's work agenda while learning about the goals and operations of the Planning Commission. An official told WealthPK that most of the fellows had completed their advanced studies and research abroad where they got the best knowledge and learned about technological development.

“Under the programme, they will get knowledge from some of the well-known policymakers at the national and international levels,” he said. He added that the mentors of the fellows were known for their contribution to policymaking. The officials said that the youth would have an opportunity to conduct numerical analysis, practice critical thinking, solve problems and receive business and entrepreneurial training. They will be inspired to act independently and present outstanding ideas.

The fellows of the progarmme will be tasked with projects and research related to Pakistan in 2025 as well as other outlined responsibilities pertinent to their areas of expertise. They could be tasked to fulfil some responsibilities and execute projects in other ministries. After every three months, their performance will be evaluated. Each batch of YDF will be imparted training devised by Programme Project Management Initiative (PPMI).

According to Secretary of the Ministry of Planning Commission Syed Zafar Ali Shah, the YDF programme is a great opportunity for youth to learn something in a year. “This programme is meant to take top minds of Pakistan in a variety of fields and use their talent for better long-term planning. These young brains will be trained to become the future development leaders of Pakistan,” Minister Ahsan Iqbal told a recent meeting of the YDF programme.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk