Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol Thursday stressed the need to equip Pakistan’s young population with market-oriented skills, entrepreneurship opportunities and career guidance
LAHORE, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 20th Aug, 2026) Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol Thursday stressed the need to equip Pakistan’s young population with market-oriented skills, entrepreneurship opportunities and career guidance.
Addressing an awareness session on “Career Pathways and Entrepreneurship Skills” organized here at LCCI, he added the country’s youth are its most valuable economic asset and must be effectively integrated into the mainstream economy. At the session, a special presentation on Tadbeer Portal was also delivered.
The session was attended by Saleemah Khanum Foundation and Tadbeer Portal President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, former Vice Chancellor Lahore College for Women University Prof. Dr. Farhat Saleemi, Convener LCCI Standing Committee Shamim Akhter, former World Bank Consultant Muhammad Saeed Akhter and other representatives of civil society and youth-focused organizations. Umaima Saleem, Ayesha Zulfiqar, Maida Afzal, Umar Rafi and Syeda Rozi Rizvi were also present.
Saigol said, Pakistan had been blessed with enormous natural and human resources, including fertile land, diverse seasons, tourism potential, minerals and a sizeable industrial base, but the country had not been able to fully translate these advantages into sustainable economic growth.
He said, the greatest potential of Pakistan was its young human resource, with around 65 percent of the population comprising youth. “If we can properly streamline, train and utilize our young population, it can become the strongest engine of economic growth,” he added.
The LCCI President appreciated the Saleemah Khanum Foundation for developing the Tadbeer Portal to facilitate young entrepreneurs, startups and individuals seeking career and business opportunities. He said, such initiatives could provide young people with practical guidance and connect them with education, skills, career pathways, scholarships, grants and other opportunities.
The LCCI President said, the business community also had a responsibility to guide the younger generation. He said that as a third-generation businessperson, he believed senior members of the business community must help young entrepreneurs identify opportunities and provide them with the right direction.
He particularly encouraged youth to embrace e-commerce, artificial intelligence, digitization and social media as tools for entrepreneurship and career development. He said, modern technologies and digital platforms had created opportunities that were not available to previous generations.
Speaking on the occasion, President Saleemah Khanum Foundation and Tadbeer Portal Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq said that his association with the Lahore Chamber dated back to the 1970s and described the Chamber as an important learning platform for the business community and young professionals.
He said, chambers of commerce and trade bodies could serve not only as platforms for protecting business interests but also as valuable sources of learning, mentoring and professional guidance.
He explained that Tadbeer Portal had been developed to address the shortage of reliable and unbiased career and entrepreneurship guidance available to young people. He said, many young Pakistanis spend substantial amounts on education or become vulnerable to human trafficking networks because they lack access to credible guidance about their career choices.
Zia-ul-Haq said, Tadbeer was based on the philosophy of empowerment rather than dependency, with the objective of helping individuals identify opportunities, develop businesses and become self-reliant.
