Youth Employability Network -YEN

27/05/2026

25/05/2026

The career counselling session in Swat engaged return migrant workers through participatory reintegration exercises, GROW Coaching Model activities, and practical discussions on entrepreneurship, skills development, and re-migration pathways. The session aimed to strengthen participants’ confidence, connect them with institutional support mechanisms, and help them transform migration experiences into sustainable livelihood opportunities. Career counselling played a critical role in helping returnees identify realistic employment and business pathways while addressing reintegration stress and uncertainty.
“This session helped me understand how to move forward after returning home. The guidance on skills and business opportunities was very useful.” — Participant Feedback, Swat Session
This project is implemented by 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.

22/05/2026

🍳 Chef de Cuisine Project | From Passion to Profession ✨
“Empowering Home Chefs to Build Businesses, Not Just Meals.”
Youth Employability Network (YEN) successfully conducted 7 impactful training sessions in Multan in the month of May 2026 under the Chef de Cuisine Project, bringing together talented and passionate home chefs ready to transform their skills into sustainable entrepreneurial journeys.
This initiative is not only about cooking — it is about empowering individuals, especially women, to build sustainable livelihoods and confidently step into the world of entrepreneurship.
Through interactive and practical sessions, participants explored:
🔹 Business Growth & Marketing Techniques
🔹 Digital Financial Literacy for Home Chefs
🔹 Branding, Pricing & Customer Engagement Strategies
The sessions created an inspiring learning environment where home chefs discovered how to market their products, manage finances digitally, connect with customers, and grow their kitchen-based work into successful ventures.
✨ “Every recipe has value when the person behind it is empowered.”
✨ “Turning kitchens into opportunities and skills into income.”
✨ “Behind every successful food business is a woman who believed in her potential.”
Participants shared highly encouraging feedback during the sessions:
💬 “I always knew how to cook, but this training taught me how to sell my skills professionally.”
💬 “For the first time, I learned how branding and digital payments can help grow my home-based business.”
💬 “These sessions gave me confidence that my passion can become a stable source of income for my family.”
At YEN, we believe that empowering communities through skills, knowledge, and opportunity creates long-term impact and opens pathways toward economic independence and self-reliance.

21/05/2026

Migration Watch 2.0 has officially launched in Multan 🎉

Following the successful completion of Phase I,Youth Employability Network (YEN) is now scaling up its efforts to broaden outreach, strengthen prevention mechanisms and empower communities to make informed and safe migration decisions.

Building on our achievements, we continue working to counter human trafficking and migrant smuggling, promoting safer and more informed migration pathways.

.O

07/05/2026

Master money skills today, unlock brighter futures tomorrow.
From classrooms to communities, financial confidence is being rewritten across Pakistan through the National Financial Literacy Program-II (2025–26) A flagship initiative of the State Bank of Pakistan implemented by the Youth Employability Network (YEN) in collaboration with the Bank of Punjab (BOP)
This is more than training it’s a shift from financial uncertainty to financial independence.
Impact that can be seen, felt, and experienced on the ground:

✔️ 3,710 lives reached (65.6% are women leading the change)
✔️ 120 interactive financial literacy sessions delivered
✔️ 81.2% boost in financial knowledge
✔️ 2,968 people stepping into digital financial inclusion
✔️ 720 PWDs meaningfully engaged
✔️ 24 districts + 6 regions connected through learning

Budget better, invest smarter, go digital, think green & build wealth with purpose.
Because when financial literacy grows, entire communities rise.

01/05/2026

Germany – Demand for IT Professionals

Germany – Demand for IT Professionals

Digital applications and intelligent technology define our day-to-day lives, making the IT industry one of the most innovative sectors globally. Germany is heavily influenced by the spirit of innovation, placing its markets for IT, telecommunications, and consumer electronics in leading positions within Europe. Consequently, IT specialists are in high demand in Germany. In 2025, around 109,000 job positions in the IT sector remained vacant. Experienced or qualified IT specialists can expect attractive jobs in small and medium-sized enterprises, the manufacturing industry, or large international companies.

Specialists in several fields are particularly in demand across Germany. Software development roles require you to design and implement software using the appropriate programming language. Your work as a software developer will be user-oriented, and you may programme complete applications or individual building blocks. Application support occupations involve maintaining and providing support for software and hardware such as SAP or SharePoint. Working in application support makes you a central point of contact for the products of a company. IT security experts take on the responsibility for the protection of company data. Continuous further training to stay up to date and working on novel solutions for software systems are part of your field of responsibility in IT security. Data science roles require you to analyse large quantities of data and deduce the appropriate solutions. As a data scientist, you will use various methods in information technology and mathematics to achieve this.

Citizens of Pakistan require a residence permit for this purpose. The Immigration Act provides for two titles which govern entry and residence in Germany, namely the settlement permit and the residence permit. A visa entitles the holder to enter or travel through another country, and third-country nationals require this kind of residence permit. Furthermore, there is a visa opportunity for IT specialists without a formal degree. If you have practical experience in the field of information and communication technology but lack formal qualifications, you can find more information in the Work visa for IT specialists on https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/visa-residence/types/it-professionals.

To start your IT career in Germany, you should follow three main steps. Firstly, you can check your career prospects and find out about the opportunities available for working and living in Germany by using the Quick-Check tool at https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/visa-residence/quick-check. Secondly, you should learn more about the German employment market and get useful job-hunting tips at https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/working-in-germany/job/looking-for-job. Finally, you can apply by finding a suitable position at https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/working-in-germany/job-listings?tx_solr%5Bfilter%5D%5B0%5D=topjobs%3A4.

You can access exclusive information for IT professionals on the Make IT in Germany page, which explains everything about the German IT industry and how to kick off your career step by step (https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/working-in-germany/professions-in-demand/career-it-specialists).

01/05/2026

We extend our sincere appreciation to IOM Pakistan for its trust and collaboration with the Youth Employability Network (YEN) in advancing this important initiative.

YEN remains committed to promoting awareness of safe and regular migration by equipping individuals with the necessary skills and accurate information. Through career counselling sessions across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Balochistan, and Gilgit-Baltistan, we aim to support both prospective and returning migrants in aligning their competencies with global labor market demands, enabling them to pursue international employment opportunities with confidence and preparedness.

29/04/2026

Youth Employability Network (YEN) has successfully completed the “National Financial Literacy Program-II (NFLP-II)” in collaboration with HABIBMETRO Bank Limited (HMB), implemented under the flagship initiative of the State Bank of Pakistan. This transformative program was designed to advance financial inclusion and promote digital empowerment, particularly among women and other marginalized communities across Pakistan.
Recognizing the critical need to enhance women’s participation in the formal financial sector, the program reached a total of 12,269 participants, of whom 59.1% were women. The initiative was implemented across 44 districts spanning five regions—Sindh, Punjab, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—covering both rural and urban populations.
The program equipped participants with essential knowledge and practical tools to support their financial inclusion, improve access to financial services, and navigate the evolving digital financial landscape. Through a structured and comprehensive curriculum, participants were introduced to key financial literacy concepts, including budgeting, savings, investments, and small business development. In addition, they gained hands-on experience in using digital banking platforms, mobile wallets, and online payment systems.
By fostering financial awareness and building digital competencies, the initiative contributes to broader socio-economic development and enables participants to engage more effectively in the modern economy. This program stands as a strong example of collaborative efforts driving meaningful impact and advancing a more inclusive financial future, ultimately supporting the empowerment and social integration of communities across Pakistan.

27/04/2026

Strengthening knowledge. Building partnerships. Advancing safe migration.

Youth Employability Network (YEN) team has participated in a three-day training on Essentials of Migration Management (EMM) organized by IOM, alongside CSOs from across Pakistan and key stakeholders including FIA and Ministry of Oversea Pakistanis & Human Resource Development.
The training provided a valuable platform to deepen understanding of safe migration practices, policy frameworks and coordinated response mechanisms needed to address migration challenges effectively.
At YEN, we believe informed collaboration is key to promoting rights-based and dignified migration pathways. We value the rich exchange of insights and collective commitment demonstrated by all partners during these sessions.
Together, we move closer toward safer, more informed migration governance.

23/04/2026

Chef de Cuisine Project | Milestone 1 – District Gujranwala - “Empowering Skills, Enabling Success”
We are proud to highlight another impactful milestone by Youth Employability Network (YEN), where 459 passionate home chefs were successfully engaged through innovative business growth training sessions conducted in District Gujranwala under Milestone 1 of the Chef de Cuisine Project.
This initiative continues to create meaningful opportunities by equipping home chefs with the knowledge and tools needed to turn their culinary passion into profitable ventures. The sessions focused on strengthening participants’ capacities in:
🔹 Business Growth & Marketing Strategies
🔹 Digital Financial Literacy for Home Chefs
🔹 Pricing, Branding & Customer Engagement
The energy, creativity, and commitment shown by participants throughout the sessions were truly inspiring. These trainings have not only enhanced their entrepreneurial skills but also paved the way for sustainable income generation and financial independence.