{"id":30664,"date":"2026-08-30T07:18:05","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T07:18:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/?p=30664"},"modified":"2026-08-30T07:40:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T07:40:40","slug":"youth-learn-practical-skills-through-self-learning-to-earn-an-income","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/2026\/08\/youth-learn-practical-skills-through-self-learning-to-earn-an-income\/","title":{"rendered":"Youth learn practical skills through self-learning to earn an income"},"content":{"rendered":"

A number of youth say that, for various reasons, they have not had the opportunity to learn certain academic and technical skills at schools and universities. However, through hard work and perseverance, they have acquired these skills through self-learning and, after gaining the necessary abilities, found jobs and started earning an income in the same fields. Salam Watandar\u2019s interviews with 24 youth aged between 20 and 35 from six provinces of Afghanistan show that self-learning has helped them acquire various skills needed in the labor market.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Based on the findings of these interviews, eight of the youth have gained skills in graphic design and video editing, three in photography, three in painting, four in social media management, three in design and tailoring, and another three in media equipment repair and web design.<\/p>\n

Their monthly incomes range from 5,000 to 20,000 Afghanis. They say their earnings not only cover some of their personal needs but also help cover part of their families\u2019 needs and contribute to the household economy.<\/p>\n

A certificate alone is not enough; the labor market needs skills<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Abdul Wahab, a 22-year-old from Kabul, says he learned video editing and online business skills through self-learning. He now works in these fields and earns a monthly income of between 10,000 and 15,000 Afghanis.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe skill I have learned was not taught at school or university. I learned it through practical work. Wherever I have worked using this skill, I have earned between 10,000 and 15,000 Afghanis a month, and sometimes my income has reached 20,000 Afghanis,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Hasenat, a 20-year-old from Kabul, says she has learned graphic design, poster design, digital content creation, and graphic production through self-learning. She believes that a certificate alone is not enough in the labor market; skilled and experienced individuals are also needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy monthly income ranges from 1,000 to 10,000 Afghanis. Theoretical education is important, but it is not enough for the labor market. The labor market does not ask a young person what they have studied; it asks what they can do. The most important thing I have learned is not just design skills, but also self-confidence,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Sawin, a 25-year-old from Ghor, says she has learned painting through self-learning and is also learning video editing. She adds that she earns between 5,000 and 10,000 Afghanis a month from her work.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned painting five or six years ago and practiced a lot. At that time, I received orders and earned a good income, which helped me cover my university expenses. I started learning video editing three months ago,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

Zakaria, a 22-year-old from Logar, says he has learned social media management and website management through self-learning, without any formal training, using various educational resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned all these skills through self-learning on YouTube. Later, I became an intern at a company, where I learned social media management, video editing, and graphic design because opportunities for training in these skills are very limited in Afghanistan,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Zaman Ali, a 20-year-old from Bamyan who has learned photography and videography through self-learning, says every young person should learn at least one practical skill alongside their school or university education so they can use it in the future to find work and meet their financial needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe skill I learned has had a great impact on my life. Through photography, I have met many people in society. Schools and universities provide students with theoretical knowledge. Alongside their studies, youth should also learn a practical skill,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Mohammad Rafi, a 26-year-old from Sar-e-Pol who works in mobile phone repair, says he initially started learning the profession out of personal interest. He would sometimes open up and repair his own broken phones or those belonging to his friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been learning this skill for about three years through self-learning. I currently work in mobile phone repair. I do things such as installing applications, fixing mobile system problems, changing settings, flashing some phones, replacing certain parts, and identifying technical problems with mobile phones,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Creating more technical training opportunities for youth<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Economic experts say that promoting a culture of work and skills training in Afghanistan can pave the way for employment and income generation and play an important role in improving the economies of families and the country. Abdul Nasir Rishtia, an economic expert, says,<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need technical schools, institutes, and short- and long-term courses where youth can learn technical and professional skills and start their own businesses. In today\u2019s world, small businesses play an important role in economic growth and job creation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, officials at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Islamic Emirate say they have provided technical and vocational training for youth in various fields and have also employed a number of them.<\/p>\n

Mohammad Seddiq Tawhidi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, says that the ministry has signed memorandums of understanding with 15 government entities to create employment opportunities for youth over the next five years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs provides technical and vocational training for youth in fields such as tailoring, mobile phone repair, car repair, painting, plumbing and electrical work. The ministry has also signed memorandums of understanding with 15 government entities to create more than 1.4 million job opportunities over the next five years,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Today, self-learning has become one of the ways a number of youth in Afghanistan are entering the labor market. By relying on their interests, working hard, and pursuing informal learning, they have acquired practical skills that have helped them find employment and earn an income.<\/p>\n

Reporter: Twoba Rasuli<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A number of youth say that, for various reasons, they have not had the opportunity to learn certain academic and technical skills at schools and universities. However, through hard work and perseverance, they have acquired these skills through self-learning and, after gaining the necessary abilities, found jobs and started earning an income in the same fields. Salam Watandar\u2019s interviews with 24 youth aged between 20 and 35 from six provinces of Afghanistan show that self-learning has helped them acquire various skills needed in the labor market.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":30667,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[990,9,186,981],"tags":[1444,2159,1790,1905,81,120],"class_list":["post-30664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest","category-soceity","category-investigative-reports","category-economy","tag-income","tag-learn","tag-practical-skills","tag-self-learning","tag-skill","tag-youth"],"views":8,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30664"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30670,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30664\/revisions\/30670"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}