THE monsoon clouds that break over Pakistan every year bring death and devastation. Deadly floods have become an annual ritual. Roads drown. Crops are inundated. People die. The Hilal-i- Ahmer representative in Buner told me: “We have run out of shrouds.” And yet, year after year, Pakistan’s response doesn’t go beyond the usual, ie, emergency aid, military helicopters, donations, photo ops and prayers — followed by radio silence until the next year.

This cycle of death won’t be broken by charity but by skill and enforcement. Specifically, by giving a new generation of Pakistanis revitalised technical vocational education and training (TVET) and strictly enforcing measures against encroachment. We can’t stop the rains but we can build better defences and rebuild greener. For all of this, we need skilled people who know how to work with nature, not against it.

Pakistan is among the top 10 countries most vulnerable to the impact of climate change. Monsoon patterns are shifting, glaciers are melting faster. But vulnerability isn’t only about nature. It is about how we build our homes, how much we encroach and how we manage our rivers and grow our food. Our rural infrastructure is outdated, cities have poor drainage and construction is compromised. Deforestation goes unchecked and waste clogs natural waterways. What’s missing isn’t just money or enforcement but also skills — in particular green skills.

Green skills supporting environment sustainability aren’t only for scientists or policymakers. They are practical, hands-on abilities: installing solar panels, maintaining water pumps, building flood-resistant housing, managing forests, running early warning systems, designing efficient irrigation and restoring wetlands. There is a need for green technicians in districts — local builders who know how to construct elevated homes with proper drainage, agriculture workers trained in climate-smart farming techniques, electricians who can instal off-grid solar systems, welders who can reinforce bridges and plumbers who can fix water leaks, thus preventing contamination during floods.

We need skilled people who know how to work with nature.

We are on our way to doing it by conducting curriculum reform and instructor training in the TVET sector. The focus is on curriculum-infused climate resilience, disaster-risk reduction, renewable energy and sustainable agriculture. In the aftermath of the 2022 floods, grassroots organisations launched small-scale reconstruction efforts. For instance, in Sindh, local masons trained in flood-resilient construction techniques to help rebuild homes on raised platforms using lime-stabilised earth blocks — a traditional and sustainable method that had been abandoned. However, these efforts were sporadic and not mainstreamed.

We need to institutionalise these approaches. Every rebuilding project should double as a training opportunity. Every flood-affected area should become a green skills classroom. Recovery isn’t just about rebuilding what was lost — it is about building back better, smarter and greener.

Pakistan needs a national green skills corps to recruit and train young people in climate adaptation and green technology, and then deploy them in vulnerable regions. Much like national service programmes in other countries, this would give young Pakistanis a purpose, a paycheck and a path forward while helping the country fortify itself against future disasters. The corps should work with local TVET institutes, NGOs and government bodies to run rapid training and deployment cycles. It will be a force multiplier for climate action and a powerful symbol of national resilie­-nce.

This isn’t just ab­­out Pakistan. Glo­bally, the demand for green skills is exploding. Accor­d­ing to the ILO, the transition to a gre­en economy could create 24 million new jobs by 2030. Countries that equip their workforce for this shift will have a competitive edge. Those that don’t will fall behind. Pakistan has the demographics — young, eager workers. It has the need — climate disasters. And it has the moment — post disaster reconstruction, which would provide an opening for structural reform. Foreign aid will always be reactive and not enough. It should never be the foundation of our national climate strategy.

We need to build our own capacity, train our own people and solve our own problems. A green TVET revolution will save lives. It will protect communities and give young Pakistanis a stake in the fight for their future. Climate change is here to stay. So are floods. The question is: will we keep drowning or will we learn to swim? The answer lies not just in our policies, but in polytechnic. Not just relief tents but in classrooms. Not just in plans but in skills.

The writer is the chairperson of National Vocational and Technical Training Commission.

chairperson@navttc.gov.pk

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2025