On World Youth Skills Day, the Punjab government has delivered a transformative announcement: Rs. 26 billion will be invested in skills training and entrepreneurship programs for FY 2025–26 under the CM Skilled Punjab initiative.
To ensure strategic delivery, all major skills-related bodies including PSDF, TEVTA, PVTC, PSDA, and PBTE have been merged into the newly formed Skills Development & Entrepreneurship Department (SDED). This one-window structure enhances speed, accountability, and alignment with global and local employment demands.
Key Flagship Programs by PSDF:
- Tabeer: Rs. 2.7B for 2,500+ international job placements
- Mein Digital: Rs. 1B to equip 3,000 rural women with IT skills
- Pehchan: Rs. 870M to support 2,250 transgender individuals with training and placements
Adnan Afzal Chattha, Chairperson of the Punjab CM Task Force for Skills, emphasized, “This is not just about training it’s about transforming lives and driving economic inclusion.”
The shift comes at a crucial time when Pakistan faces a youth bulge and limited training capacity for its 1.7 million annual labor market entrants. Punjab’s strategy offers a replicable model for scaling outcome-based, inclusive skill-building.
