Islamabad: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday chaired an inter-ministerial meeting to discuss a comprehensive three-year plan aimed at enhancing professional training and employability for the youth. The plan focuses on equipping young people with skills in information technology, industry, and nursing, targeting both local and international job markets.

According to a statement by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the meeting highlighted the government’s priority to align youth training with global demand. Prime Minister Sharif emphasized the importance of capable manpower as a national asset and called for increasing nursing training institutions to international standards. He assured that the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) would receive necessary funding to support these efforts.

NAVTTC and related ministries presented their programs, revealing that 60,000 youths have been trained this year. By June 2025, an additional 141,000 will be trained, with projections of 250,000 in 2026 and 337,000 in 2027. The plan also includes training targets for Saudi Arabia and other countries, aiming for substantial employment abroad.

Efforts are underway for the accreditation of Pakistani training institutes with international bodies, with a target of accrediting 72 institutions by June 2025. The meeting also discussed training for students from madaris and provincial programs, alongside the development of a National ICT Skills ecosystem to bolster IT training.

The meeting, attended by federal ministers and high-level officials, also laid out a roadmap for nursing reforms, addressing both local demand and international job opportunities for Pakistani nurses.