10/21 HEC Executive Director Chairs World Youth Skills Day 2021

The World Youth Skills Day 2021 was celebrated at the National Skills University Islamabad, Pakistan. Annually this day is globally observed on 15th July since 2014. The Executive Director of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan chaired this session. Prof. Dr. Habib Bokhari, Vice Chancellor, Kohsar University, Murree and Eng. Sajid Baloch, Executive Director of the NAVTTC, were the guest of honor. Among the youth leaders, Ayesha Sheikh, Asim Masoom Zubair, both recipients of the Diana Award 2021, and an eight-year-old Ibrahim Haider impressed the audience with their success stories through harnessing their extracurricular skills. Several students presented their technology inventions, including the low-cost cell phone & iPad chargers, homemade ventilators, and a robot. Students participating in the event voted robotics project by Muhammad Fozan Javed as the best one and was given a National Skills University technology shield.

The Executive Director of HEC, Dr. Shaista Sohail, elaborated on the importance of skills and briefed about several upcoming projects for the youth, including Prime Minister Kamyab Jawan's Program various components, addressing the empowerment of youth and specifically skills-based training. She advised the youth to work for the nation's benefit and be part of the upcoming green campus initiative. This program will harness the potentials of youths in saving energy, keeping campuses clean and green, and recycling initiatives. Dr. Sohail appreciated the recognition of the National Skills University as a member of the UNESCO-UNEVOC network, the only university in the country having such credentials. She appreciated the Vice Chancellor’s efforts in the continued upkeep of the campus in every domain.

The Vice Chancellor, Kohsar University Murree highlighted the importance of skills and their role in socio-economic development. The NAVTTC Executive Director discussed the Prime Minister's Hunarmand Pakistan Program and the overall NAVTTC contributions in skills education. In his concluding remarks, the NSU Vice Chancellor offered a vote of thanks and appreciation to the entire management team, engineering technologists from the Islamabad region, and students participating in this session.