Degrees meaningless without skills; youth must be equipped with modern skills: education minister

Youth must become globally competitive through value addition, says LCCI president

LAHORE: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-April 30^th, 2026) Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized “One Day, One University” program to strengthen links between industry and academia. A large number of business leaders, educational institutions, and students attended the event. The main aim of this initiative is to align students’ abilities with industry needs and create better job opportunities.

LCCI President Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol and Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat jointly inaugurated an exhibition featuring projects prepared by university students. Senior Vice President Tanveer Ahmed Sheikh, Vice President Khurram Lodhi, Chairperson Punjab Higher Education Commission Dr. Iqrar Ahmed Khan, Pro-Rector University of Central Punjab Dr. Hammad Naveed, Executive Committee members Manzoor Hussain Jafri, Mohsin Bashir, Umar Sarfraz, Waqas Aslam, Rana Muhammad Nisar, and Convener Umar Saleem were also present.

During the event, participants showed great interest in innovative and creative projects prepared by students from different universities. The Education Minister appreciated the students’ work and encouraged them.

In his address, LCCI President Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol said that the LCCI has declared this year as the “Year of Industry-Academia Linkages” because strong coordination between education and industry is essential for national development. He said Pakistani youth have great potential but need proper guidance, training, and support to perform well in practical fields.

He added that value addition is the need of the time to improve the productivity of young people, and the future of the economy depends on the youth.

Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat appreciated LCCI’s efforts and said that progress is not possible without strong links between industry and academia.

He said that skills are now as important as degrees, and only those youth will succeed who are equipped with modern skills. He revealed that the government has identified 57 sectors that will offer major employment opportunities by 2050, and training is being planned accordingly.

He further said that the Punjab government aims to train more than one million young people this year. For the first time, a dedicated Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Department has also been established.

The minister said that the continuous growth in IT exports is encouraging, but Pakistani freelancers need to further improve their skills to compete globally.

He added that 100,000 laptops are being provided to students, and for the first time, students of private universities are also included in this program and scholarship schemes.

He also shared that the Chief Minister of Punjab has declared 2026 as the “Year of Youth,” and several initiatives are being taken to empower young people. He said that three modern labs will be set up in the province to train students according to industry needs. He stressed that youth should not only look for jobs but also move towards entrepreneurship so they can create their own employment opportunities. He added that Pakistan does not lack resources, but they need to be used effectively, and youth can play a key role in this.

Chairperson Punjab Higher Education Commission Dr. Iqrar Ahmed Khan said that bridging the gap between theory and practical work is very important. He added that under Punjab Innovation, a large-scale exhibition is being organized with more than 1,500 expected entries and the same number of stalls, providing students a strong platform to showcase their talent.