Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved the launch of Pakistan's first Skills Impact Bond, a modern initiative designed to attract private investment for equipping youth with market-relevant skills to foster sustainable employment. He was chairing a meeting in Islamabad on Friday to review progress regarding productive employment for the youth.

According to Radio Pakistan, under this model, young people will receive training in contemporary skills aligned with industry needs, empowering them to actively contribute to national economic development. The Prime Minister directed officials to take additional measures to strengthen youth capacity, provide modern skills training, and ensure job placement upon completion. He expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Prime Minister's Youth Programme, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, National Vocational and Technical Training Commission, and other relevant institutions in creating employment opportunities.

Shehbaz Sharif also instructed authorities to offer opportunities for learning the local languages of potential host countries, facilitating overseas employment for Pakistani youth. He called for a comprehensive roadmap detailing employment opportunities both domestically and abroad, along with projections of job availability. He announced that he would personally review progress every two months.

The Prime Minister emphasized prioritizing the preparation of skilled professionals for international job markets and directed the launch of a nationwide awareness campaign about employment opportunities available through the Digital Youth Hub. Declaring Pakistan's talented youth as the nation's most valuable asset, Shehbaz Sharif said providing them with quality education and employable skills will reshape the country's future. He added that Pakistani youth continue to bring global recognition to the nation through their achievements.

The meeting was informed that the government is taking comprehensive measures to ensure imparting skillful education coupled with the provision of employment in Pakistan and abroad. It was said that so far five hundred thousand people have been registered under the digital youth hub whereas one point seven million people have downloaded the application. The meeting was apprised that over five hundred registered companies, around forty seven thousand job opportunities in Pakistan and approximately one hundred thousand abroad in addition to more than two thousand scholarships are available.