Minister of State Wajiha Qamar met Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates Salem Alzaabi at the UAE Embassy in Islamabad on Monday to discuss broad cooperation in technical and vocational education and training and related education cooperation initiatives.
Both sides explored ways to strengthen the TVET sector and vocational skills development, with the minister emphasising Pakistan’s drive to align vocational training with international standards to improve youth employability and meet global labour market demands.
The meeting highlighted potential collaboration on joint certification programmes, faculty and student exchange, and capacity building initiatives that can raise the quality of training and create clearer pathways from skills programmes into employment.
Discussions also covered enhanced cooperation between Pakistani higher education institutions and the Higher Education Commission, focusing on mutual recognition of qualifications, research collaboration and academic mobility as central elements of sustained education cooperation.
Both officials expressed strong interest in developing structured mechanisms for skilled labour exchange in priority sectors to benefit workforces on both sides. Ambassador Salem Alzaabi reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to deepen skills-based partnerships, and the meeting concluded with an agreement to explore concrete frameworks to boost people-to-people linkages through education and skills development.
