In a landmark decision aimed at tackling youth unemployment, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday approved Pakistan’s first-ever Skills Impact Bond, a performance-based investment model designed to equip the country’s youth with in-demand skills and connect them to meaningful job opportunities.

Chaired by the Prime Minister himself, the high-level review meeting focused on advancing a national roadmap to enhance youth employability both within Pakistan and abroad.

A New Model for Skills and Success

The Skills Impact Bond operates under a “Pay-for-Success” framework. In this model, public or donor funding is disbursed only when independently verified outcomes—such as job placements or earning benchmarks—are achieved. This approach aims to align training programs with real-world economic needs and reduce inefficiencies in traditional funding models.

The goal is to prepare Pakistan’s youth for modern labor markets, offering them skills that are aligned with local and global employment trends in technology, trade, and service industries.

PM Emphasizes Global Readiness

PM Sharif highlighted the importance of preparing the youth not just for domestic employment but also for global workforce integration. He stressed that young Pakistanis should learn foreign languages to increase their chances of securing jobs abroad and called for prioritizing training for overseas opportunities.

He also instructed officials to present a comprehensive roadmap outlining estimated local and international employment trends, and to provide regular progress reports every two months.

Support and Progress Through Digital Tools

The Prime Minister reviewed progress on various employment and training initiatives, including the Digital Youth Hub. So far:

• Over 500,000 youth have registered on the platform
• More than 1.7 million app downloads have been recorded
• 500+ companies have joined as employers
• The portal currently lists 47,000 local jobs and 100,000 international jobs
• 2,000+ scholarships are available for skill development

The platform links youth with employment, scholarships, training opportunities, and startup support. Over 500 institutions, including Pakistani embassies, government bodies, the private sector, and international organizations like the United Nations, are now integrated with the portal.

Broad Institutional Support

The meeting was attended by Federal Ministers Ahad Khan Cheema, Attaullah Tarar, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, MNA Amina Batool, and other senior officials. All praised the PM’s vision and reiterated their commitment to transforming Pakistan’s youth into a global competitive workforce.

Empowering the Nation’s Greatest Asset

Calling young people “Pakistan’s greatest asset,” Prime Minister Sharif said that investing in employable education and skill development was key to transforming the nation’s future. He urged a national awareness campaign to promote available opportunities and ensure youth are well-informed about the tools and platforms developed to support them.

With the approval of the Skills Impact Bond, Pakistan takes a bold step toward building a workforce that is not only future-ready but also capable of contributing meaningfully to the national and global economy.