Press release: PSDF represents Pakistan as skills expert at the GSG Global Impact Summit 2020

CEO Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF), Jawad Khan, spoke at the GSG Global Impact Summit 2020 in the session on ‘Upskilling the Unemployed’ to discuss the importance of impact investment in training and an outcome-based approach to re-skilling and up-skilling programmes targeting the vulnerable and unemployed.

The GSG Summit attracts changemakers from across the world, to work on a just and impact-led recovery that benefits all people and the planet. This year’s virtual summit focused on how to place impact at the heart of COVID-19 response and recovery and bring forward solutions that can help rally and re-build. The 3 day summit, spanning 9th to 11th September, brought forward influential speakers from 32 countries across the world, from the public and private sector, such as Achim Steiner, The Administrator of the UNDP, Emmanuel Faber, CEO at Danone, Jessica Alba, founder at The Honest Company and Ibukun Awosika, Chair at the First Bank of Nigeria.

The 2^nd day of the Summit included the session on ‘Upskilling the Unemployed’ which looked at the adverse economic impact of Covid-19, and ideated on impact investment and outcome-based vehicles that could be promising to achieve scale and maximum social outcomes.

At the session, CEO PSDF, Jawad Khan joined as one of the prime speakers on global labour market trends and the challenges and opportunities brought forward by the Covid-19 pandemic, and focused on how ‘pay for success’ financing and schemes can help ensure a rapid and fair recovery. He further expanded on PSDF’s involvement in leading a number of cross-sector partnerships in the skilling space, such as the National Accelerator on closing the skills gap (Parwaaz), that identifies high-growth sectors and declining and emerging job roles, to skill, re-skill and upskill the current and future workforce.

Other speakers at the session included Annie Plancher, Vice President of Staff and Strategy at Social Finance US, Maha Keramane, Head of Microfinance and Social Entrepreneurship from BNP Paribas, and Dr. Swapan Bala, Professor at University of Dhaka.