At the recently concluded 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, three young Pakistanis put their skills, stories and national identity on the global stage—marking Pakistan’s debut at the world’s largest skills competition.
Graphic designer Nabeed Ul Arfeen showed the world Pakistan’s creativity and culture. Cooking competitor Mohid Mehboob brought the flavors of karahi and biryani, while electrical installer Mudassar Hussain came to learn advanced technologies and take those skills back home.
But this is about more than one competition. Pakistan’s participation in WorldSkills for the first time reflects the country’s growing recognition of TVET as a pathway to opportunity and economic development—a significant signal at a time when only around 6% of Pakistan’s workforce holds formal vocational qualifications.
For Pakistan, strengthening TVET is about more than education—it is about jobs, productivity and preparing young people for emerging industries.
And this could be just the beginning. A China-Pakistan TVET initiative launched in January 2026 aims to train 50,000+ Pakistani young people and 2,000 master trainers over five years.
Skills can travel far. So can opportunity.
