The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), together with the TVET Sector Support Programme, hosted the first annual conference on jointly creating a TVET system for a future-ready skilled workforce. The event brought together industry leaders, academic partners and international supporters to accelerate TVET Pakistan efforts and align training with market needs.
FPCCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh said the country’s youth have immense potential and stressed the need to open opportunities through skills development and vocational training. He urged public and private sectors to lead a sustained dialogue under FPCCI’s convening role and to focus on preparing a workforce that directly meets industry demand.
The conference highlighted targeted sectoral priorities where skills can drive growth, including renewable energy, textiles, agriculture and hospitality. President Atif Ikram Sheikh announced that FPCCI will deliver web-based training to 1,000 members of various chambers and trade associations to scale capacity building across the business community.
EU Ambassador Raimondas Kroublis addressed the gathering and reaffirmed the European Union’s partnership with Pakistan and NUTECH on skills development. He voiced full support for programmes like Tuit and highlighted cooperation with partners such as Germany and the British Council to strengthen workforce training. The ambassador emphasised the need for coordinated public-private action to meet future technology and labour market transformations.
Senior Vice President Saqib Fayyaz Magoon noted the conference’s purpose was to bridge the gap between industry requirements and youth skills, calling for closer collaboration between academia and industry. Other participants included NUTECH Chairperson Gulmina Bilal Ahmad, FPCCI Vice President Tariq Jadoon, Quratulain, Chairman Capital Office Karim Aziz Malik and Chairman Coordination Malik Sohail, who joined discussions on actionable steps to scale TVET Pakistan initiatives.
Speakers agreed that sustained public-private dialogue, aligned curricula and scalable online training are essential to prepare a skilled workforce for Pakistan’s growth sectors. The conference set a clear direction for expanding TVET Pakistan programmes and strengthening industry-academia linkages to ensure young people acquire skills that match market demand.
