Apprentice Scheme:

In view of Diocesan responsibility the Development and Relief office, in addition to other projects has set up an ‘Apprentice Scheme’. This is to equip the young members of the poor and marginalized community with useful skills. Thus, enabling an apprentice with skill and confidence to sit in the market, earn livelihood, and lead an honourable life.

Socio-economic change can have the following impact:

• they will gain confidence that they can be useful earning members of the community.
• They will earn their daily bread through some decent approach.
• They will not be a burden in the society they live-in.
• They will gain some skills, and if their economic condition permits, one day they may have their independent business.

Project objective:

• Enable youngster of the minority community to acquire essential skills to become marketable & employable.
• Enable the target group to enter into the skilled job market.
• The Scheme stands as a humble response to un-employment and under employment.

Selection of the target group:

The selection procedure includes:

• Inviting applications through announcement in local Churches, community halls
• Initial scrutiny of the applicants through elders of their local Church/community hall
• Pre-training interview to assess the interest and need of the applicant

Gender aspect in selection of target group:

Since 1997 to December 2005 186 female apprentices graduated from this scheme. Presently, there are only 42 female apprentices. Diocese of Peshawar, is more focused on women development and intend to raise the number of women in the project.

Diocese of Peshawar whose territory coincides with the North West Frontier Province has 23 parishes. A Diocesan Priest along with a minimum of 7 and maximum of 14 parish members (similar to Community Based Organization), looks after the community residing in the pastoral jurisdiction of a Parish. They not only provide pastoral care to the Christian community but, are also responsible to assess their needs.

Community Participation:

Diocesan Development and Relief staff often, through its Peshawar parish, in particular carries out survey for the services offered by this scheme. 

Encouragingly, there has been continuing community demand for apprentice scheme.

Although, Development and Relief staff and board design and plan the apprentice scheme, observations and suggestions from the community as well as the participants is taken into consideration.

Integration with other projects:

The Diocesan Apprentice Scheme is a significant program for the uplift of the poor and Marginalized community in particular and marginalized members of the majority Muslim community, in general.

The scheme provides stipend to the trainees and micro finance to the graduates, as incentives to acquire and apply marketable skills to get a job or establish their own business to improve their livelihood.