Taliban says 1,847 people are receiving vocational training in Ghor

The Taliban-run Department of Labour and Social Affairs in Afghanistan’s Ghor province has said that 1,847 people are taking part in vocational training classes run by the department and in joint programmes with partner organisations, learning job skills. Officials said the aim of these programmes is to help participants enter the labour market and reduce unemployment.

Mullah Nasrullah Ansar, the Taliban’s labour and social affairs chief in Ghor, told Pajhwok that the trainees are enrolled in six-month courses. He said the training covers areas including mobile phone repair, blacksmithing, tailoring, motorcycle repair, embroidery, curtain making, poultry farming, jam production, dairy processing and bag making.

He added that the programmes were launched in cooperation with the Taliban’s Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the local administration in Ghor and partner organisations, and efforts are under way to expand vocational training and job opportunities for young people and those in need.

A number of participants have welcomed the training, saying the skills they learn in these courses could help them find work after completion and support their families’ incomes. They also said learning vocational skills could reduce economic dependence and provide a way to cope with the hardships caused by unemployment.

Ghor is one of Afghanistan’s western provinces, where access to job opportunities and technical training has been reported as limited in many areas.