Youth Employability Network -YEN

27/08/2026

From Home Kitchens to Growing Businesses 🍽️✨
A new chapter of learning and empowerment unfolded in Lahore this August as the Youth Employability Network (YEN) and its dedicated team brought together talented home chefs under the Chef de Cuisine Project.

The session created a space where culinary passion was connected with entrepreneurship, helping participants explore how everyday cooking skills can be transformed into stronger, more sustainable business opportunities.
Through practical discussions and interactive activities, participants explored:

🔸 Building and expanding a home-based food business
🔸 Effective marketing and reaching the right customers
🔸 Digital financial practices for business transactions
🔸 Setting prices that support business growth
🔸 Creating a recognizable food brand
🔸 Improving customer relationships and retention

Beyond the technical learning, the session encouraged participants to think differently about their potential — moving from simply preparing food at home to confidently presenting their products, understanding their customers, managing their finances, and identifying opportunities for growth.
The energy throughout the session reflected the determination of women entrepreneurs who are ready to take their skills beyond the kitchen and into the marketplace. From exchanging experiences to discussing real business challenges, participants actively contributed ideas and learned from one another.

💬 “My kitchen can be more than a place where I cook — it can be the starting point of my business.”
💬 “I learned that presenting and pricing my products properly can make a real difference.”
💬 “The session gave me practical ideas that I can apply directly to my home-based work.”
At YEN, we believe that meaningful economic empowerment begins when people are given the knowledge, confidence, and opportunities to turn their abilities into sustainable livelihoods.
🌱 Skills create possibilities. Confidence creates action. Opportunity creates change.
Together, YEN and its partners continue to support aspiring entrepreneurs in building stronger businesses, greater financial independence, and brighter futures.

26/08/2026

Youth Employability Network in collaboration with IOM - UN Migrationconducted a career counselling session for potential skilled migrants from Rawalpindi/Islamabad, focusing on career pathways and labour mobility opportunities in the GCC and EU countries.

👥 25 potential skilled migrants participated in the session and gained valuable insights into:
🔹 Career pathways and international employment opportunities
🔹 Skills and qualifications required for the GCC and EU markets
🔹 Access to relevant information for informed migration decisions
🔹 Matching their skills and experience with labour mobility opportunities

Through such initiatives, we are helping skilled individuals better understand international career opportunities and prepare for safe, informed, and skills-based labour mobility.

24/08/2026

Building Resilience, Strengthening Communities

Under the Migration Watch 2.0 Project, supported by GI and implemented by Youth Employability Network (YEN), a Resilience Dialogue brought together community members and key stakeholders to reflect on migration-related challenges, share lived experiences and explore practical pathways towards stronger and more resilient communities.
Through open dialogue and collective reflection, we move from challenges to solutions and from vulnerability to resilience.

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21/08/2026

Building Stronger Culinary Businesses | Chef de Cuisine Project

Youth Employability Network (YEN) team conducted an interactive learning session in Multan under the Chef de Cuisine Project, focusing on the fundamentals of Business Growth and Marketing for culinary entrepreneurs.
Participants explored the basics of growing a business, understanding marketing foundations, and using social media as a powerful tool to promote their culinary ventures.
Through practical discussions and activities, home chefs learned how to better position their products, connect with potential customers, and identify new opportunities for business growth.
✨ “Great food deserves to be discovered — effective marketing helps it reach the right people.”
YEN continues to equip aspiring entrepreneurs with practical knowledge and skills to transform their culinary passion into sustainable business opportunities.

13/08/2026

PAKISTAN ZINDABAD

04/08/2026

Protect yourself. Protect your country.

Facilitating financial transactions for unknown individuals—whether local or international—can expose you to fraud, money laundering, and other criminal activities.

Stay vigilant. If you notice any suspicious transaction or financial activity, report it immediately to the relevant law enforcement authorities.

#1719

31/07/2026

The concluding career counselling session in Skardu demonstrated the programme's strong commitment to expanding access to reliable migration information and career guidance among young people in Gilgit-Baltistan. Participants actively engaged in discussions on scholarships, international labour mobility, language preparation, digital career resources, and verified migration pathways, reflecting their growing enthusiasm for informed migration planning. Career counselling proved instrumental in equipping participants with the knowledge, confidence, and practical tools required to make safe, evidence-based decisions while preparing for competitive international education and employment opportunities.
"I learned about trusted platforms, scholarships, and career planning tools that will help me achieve my goals through safe migration." — Participant Feedback, Skardu Session.

This project is implemented by Youth Employability Network in collaboration with International Organization for Migration (IOM) with the support of GIZ TEVT Sector Support Programme funded by EU and German Government (BMZ). It aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of relevant government stakeholders while providing direct support to potential and returning migrants in selected districts of Punjab, Balochistan, KP and GB.

30/07/2026

29/07/2026

YEN team at the ILO Civil Society Consultation & Capacity Building Workshop on Fair Labour Migration

Youth Employability Network (YEN) team joined a one-day workshop organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) Pakistan and the Civil Society Alliance on Migration (CSAM), focused on ILO Convention No. 181 and fair labour migration practices.
The session centered on the recruitment process for private employment agencies — including registration and recruitment procedures — and served as a consultative process with civil society to help refine and better align these regulations, while strengthening civil society's understanding of and engagement with these conventions.
We found the discussion genuinely valuable and are glad to have contributed our perspective to this important national dialogue on fair and ethical labour migration for Pakistan's youth.
YEN remains committed to advancing safe, ethical, and dignified labour migration pathways for Pakistan's youth, and we look forward to continued engagement with Labour Organization (ILO) and the Civil Society Alliance on Migration (CSAM) on this important agenda.

IOM - UN Migration

28/07/2026

Led by Mr. Muhammad Ehsan, this returnee career counselling session successfully strengthened participants' awareness of reintegration services, entrepreneurship opportunities, institutional support mechanisms, and safe migration pathways. Through interactive discussions, skills mapping exercises, and demonstrations of verified employment resources, participants actively developed practical strategies for employment, self-employment, and future migration planning. The session reinforced the importance of career counselling as a catalyst for informed decision-making, empowering returnees to transform overseas experience into productive economic opportunities.
"The practical guidance and interactive activities made this one of the most beneficial sessions I have attended. I am leaving with a clear direction for my next steps." — Participant Feedback, Skardu Session
This project is implemented by Youth Employability Network in collaboration with International Organization for Migration (IOM) with the support of GIZ TEVT Sector Support Programme funded by EU and German Government (BMZ). It aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of relevant government stakeholders while providing direct support to potential and returning migrants in selected districts of Punjab, Balochistan, KP and GB.