Punjab Skills Training Target: One Million Youth
Punjab skills training will reach one million young people over the next three years, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif decided at a meeting on Sunday, November 1, 2026. The chief minister received a briefing on ongoing and proposed skill development projects and approved steps to expand technical and vocational training across the province.
The meeting approved Punjab’s first modern Woodworking Centre of Excellence. Centres of excellence for electrical work, vehicle technology and digital marketing will also be set up. Certification programmes for agriculture and heavy machinery operators were approved as well.
The chief minister also approved a programme offering courses in 13 languages. The province’s first cleaning and cleaner academy will be established too, to provide professional training in healthcare, hospitality and domestic services.
Punjab skills training: what 400,000 trainees achieved
Officials told the meeting that skills training had been completed for 400,000 young people in the province so far. More than 45 per cent secured employment, while many others opted to continue their education.
The reported outcomes break down as 90,029 trainees securing jobs in local industries, 53,509 opting for self-employment, and 38,557 obtaining employment abroad. Another 39,325 chose to continue their education. Those four groups account for part of the 400,000 total, and the briefing did not set out the position of the rest in the material reviewed.
Sector figures show where training landed. About 113,333 young people completed training in manufacturing, with more than 50,000 securing immediate employment. In information technology, 111,607 received training, of whom 49,588 were earning through employment.
Agriculture and livestock training reached 23,269 people, with 10,033 securing jobs. Construction training reached 27,069 people, with 12,026 finding employment. Energy sector training covered 35,227 people, of whom 15,651 secured jobs. Hospitality and tourism courses were completed by 15,319 trainees, with 6,807 securing immediate employment.
The figures matter because they show a training system that already places a large share of its graduates. The IT and manufacturing streams dominate the numbers, while agriculture, construction, energy and hospitality add smaller but steady job pipelines.
Women, teachers and new courses
Under the Empowering Women through Information Technology Programme, 3,000 women in rural areas are earning from home after completing training. The department also provided industry-related, management, teaching and skills-upgradation training to 15,065 teachers and staff members.
The new approvals widen the offer in three directions. First, trade centres of excellence add depth in woodworking, electrical work, vehicle technology and digital marketing. Second, certification for agriculture and heavy machinery operators targets rural and industrial work directly. Third, courses in 13 languages and a cleaning academy open service jobs in healthcare, hospitality and homes.
The one-million target over three years means the province must train roughly twice as many people as it has so far, in a similar period. That pace will depend on centre capacity, trainers and employer links, none of which were set out in detail in the material reviewed.
What happens next
The province must now turn approvals into seats, trainers and timetables. Young people watching the announcement will look for three things: which courses open first, where centres sit, and how to apply.
Employers will watch whether the new centres match real vacancies, especially in manufacturing, IT and energy, where the largest job numbers already sit. If the new woodworking, electrical and vehicle technology centres link to firms, they could repeat the placement pattern of the existing streams.
Related Feature Pakistan coverage includes Punjab’s free hospitality training course for women and Punjab nursing scholarships for faculty.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Punjab skills training target?
Punjab aims to provide skills training to one million young people over the next three years, as decided by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
How many young people have completed training so far?
Officials said training had been completed for 400,000 young people, with more than 45 per cent securing employment.
Which new centres were approved?
Punjab’s first modern Woodworking Centre of Excellence was approved, along with centres of excellence for electrical work, vehicle technology and digital marketing.
How many trained youth found jobs abroad?
Officials reported that 38,557 trained youth obtained employment abroad, while 90,029 secured jobs in local industries and 53,509 opted for self-employment.
What is the new cleaning academy for?
The province’s first cleaning and cleaner academy will provide professional training in healthcare, hospitality and domestic services.
