Seminar: Youth asked to pursue entrepreneurship

New ideas will create jobs, produce successful entrepreneurs

ISLAMABAD: Participants of a seminar underlined the importance of promoting innovative entrepreneurship for absorbing the mushroom growth in university graduates to tackle the challenges of unemployment and lacklustre economic growth.

The one-day event was organised by OPEN Islamabad, a network of Pakistani entrepreneurs and professionals, with chapters in 13 cities from the Silicon Valley and New York to London and Islamabad.

It provides a platform for Pakistani entrepreneurs and professionals to connect, collaborate, mentor and support each other.

A large number of students, entrepreneurs, professionals and academics turned up at the seminar and highlighted the importance of promoting new ideas and concepts for attracting the youth towards entrepreneurship, a key concept for creating jobs rather than seeking employment for the graduates of universities.

Master Ayub, an Islamabad-based social worker and philanthropist, remained the key figure at the event due to his initiative to support stray children in the capital. He motivated them towards education and learning a skill rather than roaming the streets due to lack of resources and attention from the parents and society.

Renowned corporate executive and PTI lawmaker Asad Umar said that for being a successful entrepreneur, people must have innovative ideas and risk-taking skills to fill the gap.

“Without innovation and making any difference, one cannot be a successful entrepreneur to grab the market,” he said.

Umar suggested that youngsters must come up with innovative ideas besides having the art to take risk for successful entrepreneurship.

He advised the youth to discover their passion and set targets accordingly. “The biggest achievement comes if your passion is beyond personal interest,” the lawmaker added.

Umer Farooq, Founder-CEO of Abbottabad-based Tech Valley, said there was a need to change the concept of job seeking after graduating from the universities to generate more economic activities.

He was of the view that such seminars must also be organised in smaller cities and educational institutions to target the students who had restricted resources and awareness.

“Targeting the elite institutions and big cities will not work in efforts to create awareness among the huge number of job-seeking students,” he noted.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2016.

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