Empowering youth, one skill at a time
With about 60% of the population being under 30, Pakistan is on the verge of a demographic revolution. However, the nation is dealing with a crisis in both jobs and education. Reports indicate that just 64 out of 1,000 persons receive formal or informal training in vocational skills. The nation's social and economic stability is at risk because of this disparity. Many organisations are trying to build a better future by providing training to such marginalised people.
One such light in this dark tunnel is The Hunar Foundation, a nonprofit organisation committed to empowering Pakistan's young by providing them with technical and vocational training so they can become competent professionals and economic contributors.
“The Hunar Foundation was founded in 2008 by a group of like-minded people, and by 2025–2026, they hope to have trained and certified 100,000 young men and women a year,” shared the CEO Ghufran Khan. They aim to promote a skilled Pakistan, and understand that technical education is essential to ending the poverty cycle and generating employment.
“We are fighting against poverty. Our purpose is to help end the root of all problems and that is poverty. By training individuals, we are not just giving them skills but also providing them with opportunities to grow and earn well,” he added.
The foundation is a movement to address skill shortages, alter mindsets, and prepare young people for the future; it is more than just a vocational training facility. Its goal is to provide graduates with globally recognised technical skills so they can satisfy the demands of both domestic and foreign labour markets. To produce well-rounded workers, they also place a strong emphasis on moral, social, and ethical principles in addition to technical proficiency. “Among many of our programs, we also emphasise character building, confidence, ethical behaviours, and personality development,” he explained.
Hunar Foundation offers a wide range of 40 skill-based programs tailored to meet market demands. From cutting-edge digital trades like cybersecurity, 3D animation, and web development to traditional skills such as welding, dressmaking, and electrical work, it ensures its students are equipped for modern industries.
“Our basic idea is to bring back the people to the workforce who have left studies due to several reasons, be it financial constraint or any other aspect,” said Sumera Naqvi, senior manager development at The Hunar Foundation.
The foundation changed the lives of almost 40,000 people till now. Among them is 20-year-old Faizan Mati. Back in 2019, living in his small village in Punjab, young Faizan would have never thought of studying or learning anything for himself. He was destined to unquestionably follow his father's footsteps and be a farmer. “It was in 2019 when we came to Karachi and after coming here, we got to know that studies are so important in life. I got admission to Intermediate, and there, a friend of mine suggested that we get enrolled into short courses to acquire some skills,” he shared.
With his friend, he visited the Hunar foundation, and luckily, an orientation was underway about advanced web development. It helped him decide that this was the path he would take. “I didn’t have much money at that time, so I got an odd job, saved some money for two months, and bought a laptop, which I later used to polish my skills,” he said. After completing the six-month course, he started gaining interest in studies and tried finding more courses to hone his skills. “I got a job in Hunar Foundation and I worked there for one year. Now I am completing my Bachelor’s in computer science from a university. I don’t think anything would have been possible without that one step that my friend and I took to go and check the foundation courses,” he pointed out.
Mati, who is third among five brothers, also thinks that now he can guide his younger brothers to create a path for themselves. “Otherwise we would have spent our lives just farming,” he said.
“We thought matriculation was enough and we might have been doing some odd job in any company but getting the exposure and right skill set has shaped my life and also a pathway has been created for my younger brothers,” he added.
The foundation also places a strong emphasis on women's empowerment initiatives with many global partnerships providing young women with market-aligned vocational training in fields traditionally dominated by men, such as construction and infrastructure. “The training program not only focuses on young students but also women in conventional and non-conventional programs where they are taught beautician courses, web designing, web marketing, stitching, and much more,” Naqvi said. These efforts address the cultural and economic barriers preventing women from participating in the labour force, fostering greater gender equity in the workplace.
An impact study revealed that the Hunar Foundation has had a major influence on Pakistan's socioeconomic environment over the years. “Out of the almost 40,000 graduates the foundation has trained thus far, 71% have found work, and 15% have gone on to study further,” said Khan. These alumni are improving their communities and families in addition to changing their own lives. 74% of the graduates, according to research, help with household expenses, especially those related to healthcare and education. “The number of youth exceeds in millions, and we are catering to very few now, but with the 16 institutes that we have today we are trying to build another model simultaneously,” explained Khan adding that they are moving towards digitisation and offer digital courses that can save them infrastructure and capacity issues.
Additionally, a strong network for job placements has been established by the foundation's cooperation with more than 650 industrial partners. Hunar graduates earn an estimated 14 billion rupees collectively each year, demonstrating the transformational potential of skill development. “We are planning to introduce IT-related courses online as they can be catered well, such as Artificial intelligence, E-commerce, Data analysis, etc. Mainly they can do the theory section online, and for the practical section, they can come to our labs,” the CEO said.
The foundation emphasises sustainability in addition to training. The foundation ensures excellent educational standards by aligning its programs with the National Vocational Qualification Framework, Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority, and National Vocational and Technical Training Commission to ensure that students graduate with employable and relevant skills.
Additionally, the organisation encourages graduates to start small businesses by supporting self-employment.
With an average educational duration of just 7.8 years and insufficient access to high quality education, Pakistan is ranked 161st out of 192 nations on the Human Development Index. This situation necessitates quick action to keep young people from becoming despondent and impoverished, and this is where economic independence, resilience, and optimism are required in the youth by giving them employable skills. “We are even in contact with many madrassas and organisations to provide skill sets to students who are registered there so that they do have some skill set to earn well and not just religious knowledge and their end goal is not just to be an Imam but they can also start their own business to earn bread and butter,” said Khan.
The foundation provides several ways to help, such as funding operational costs, setting up digital skill laboratories, or sponsoring individual students. Every donation enables a young person to develop the skills necessary for independence and financial security throughout their lives. “The registration fee for the six-month course is 4,000 rupees but the expense for each enrolled student is 15,000 rupees per month so obviously the donors meet all these expenses,” said Naqvi adding that even with that, the majority cannot pay the registration fee and almost 80% are on scholarships.
The stakes for skill development are bigger than ever as Pakistan's youth population continues to expand. “Our idea is to uplift the marginalised and allow them to do something for themselves rather than just adding them to the system. If they have skills that can uplift their lifestyle and also contribute to the economy then what better can be done for Pakistan,” said the CEO.