Skills, Not Just Degrees: A Quiet Revolution in Muridke, Sheikhupura

At the Sarmad Tanveer Campus of the National Skills University Islamabad in Muridke, digital marketing students are securing jobs before completing their courses. This is not a stroke of luck; it is a sign of deliberate, thoughtful reform in how we prepare young people for the future.

The National Skills University Islamabad, under the visionary leadership of its Founding Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar, has provided that higher education in Pakistan need not be limited to theory-laden classrooms and outdated syllabi. It can be dynamic, industry-relevant, and profoundly transformative. At the Muridke campus, this transformation is palpable. Under the stewardship of Acting Campus Director Dr. Bilawal Rehman, the campus is doing more than educating - it is empowering.

The campus is flipping the script in a region where youth unemployment is often seen as an intractable problem. The success of digital marketing students is emblematic of what happens when education meets real-world demand. For instance, these students are being trained to meet the growing need for digital marketing professionals in the e-commerce sector. The model is simple yet revolutionary: teach immediate marketable skills, engage students with real industry needs, and instill a mindset of innovation and resilience.

However, none of this happens without dedicated leadership and a committed team working behind the scenes. Credit must be given where it is due: to those faculty members and staff who work tirelessly, often without recognition, to change the trajectory of young lives. Their dedication and hard work are the backbone of this transformative process. Thanks to the NAVTTC for the financial support in running these skills courses at the NSU Sarmad Tanveer Campus Muridke.

Worth mentioning here is Ms. Gulmina Bilal Ahmad, Chairperson of the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC), who stands as a staunch advocate for inclusive and equitable skills education in Pakistan. She acknowledged the institution's transformative work during her visit to the Sarmad Tanveer Campus of the National Skills University Islamabad in Muridke. She directly interacted with students, many from underserved and rural backgrounds. Her consistent encouragement for youth from peripheral regions reflects a broader vision: that opportunity should not be confined to urban centers and that talent exists in every corner of the country, waiting only for the right platform. Her leadership continues to inspire a generation of students to dream beyond limitations and see technical education as a powerful vehicle for socioeconomic mobility.

While the headlines may focus on crises, there are stories - like this one at the National Skills University Islamabad, Sarmad Tanveer Campus Muridke, where quiet revolutions are taking place every day, inspiring us with the transformative power of skill education.