Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) is a Section 42, not-for-profit company financed by the Government of Punjab and Department for International Development (DFID) UK. PSDF is a funding organization which acts as a financier of skills development/vocational training projects and intends to stimulate the market for skills development for the poor and the vulnerable communities of four districts of Southern Punjab (Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Lodhran and Muzaffargarh).
TUSDEC has been keenly involved in the rehabilitation of calamitous communities through sustainable capacity building. TUSDEC joined hands with PSDF (Punjab Skills Development Fund) under its ‘Skills Development in Six Model Villages’ initiative. Under the collaboration, TUSDEC imparted technical trainings of Masonry and Plumbing in two Model Villages of Rakh Jalwala and Bhulla Mouza Aalo Rid to 120 men belonging to the flood affected community. Trainees were provided with a monthly stipend alongside free of cost tool kits. With extensive practical training sessions, the candidates acquired adeptness at the skills thereby were enabled to earn out an adequate wage. At the course completion, trainees were formally certified at a graduation ceremony attended by the prestigious guests from PSDF, TUSDEC and DFID. After the trainings, TUSDEC arranged for the internships of the trainees which further instigated their chances of employment in the local market. Few candidates also started up their own small scale businesses, where TUSDEC managed to establish their linkages with the micro-finance institutions to endow them with small loans.