ISLAMABAD About 50 women vocational instructors are being trained in contemporary fashion trends garments making, tie and dye - the chuneri work, embroidery, screen printing of fabrics and recycling of the used material in various households. The weeklong training is being conducted by the professionals from the Lok Virsa and the National Institute of Cultural Studies at the Heritage Museum on behalf of the Bait ul Maal. The participants are chosen from different vocational teachers at the vocational schools and diversified vocational and dastkari schools established by the Pakistan Bait ul Maal (PBM) in the four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. Samina Khalid Ghurki, Federal Minister for Social Welfare and Women Development, accompanied by MD PBM Zamarud Khan visited the workshop. The Minister was introduced to the participating instructors and trainers. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister highlighted the importance of vocational training for women teachers. She said the workshop will go a long way to improve economic conditions of the women in the urban and rural areas, thereby contributing towards our basic aim for empowerment of women in every sphere of life. The Govt is determined to take every measure within the given resources to ensure poverty alleviation among the masses with special reference to womenfolk, wherever possible, the Minister said while assuring full cooperation from her ministry for the success of the workshop. Khalid Javaid, the Executive Director Lok Virsa, while talking to this scribe lauded the efforts of PBM for supporting such a culture-oriented activity. Since its inception, Lok Virsa is striving hard to work for the documentation and preservation of crafts in Pakistan as well as for the welfare and betterment of craftspeople, who are real bearers of our diverse cultural heritage, he maintained. Jvaid mentioned that they always welcome all the institutions and individuals keen to join hands with Lok Virsa for promotion of the national culture. The ongoing workshop will serve to provide more income generating opportunities to the craftspeople at their hometowns as the new skills are imparted to them, he added. PBM has established 160 centres throughout the country including Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan regions. The vocational schools are providing free training to widows, orphans, poor girls in different skills such as drafting, cutting, sewing, knitting, hand and machine embroidery, whereas diversified centres are imparting training to meet the contemporary needs such as the use of office equipment, computer, fax, photocopiers, printers, interior decoration, beautician, cooking, fishing, tie and dye, glass painting but according to the requirement of the respective areas. Rubina Khalid said that workshop was also serving another purpose of inter-provincial harmony besides its primary objective that was to train low-income group of women and to introduce the teachers to the modern market trends, new innovations and also aims to polish their skills. The workshop will continue till Saturday, 17 July.