July 2014; A new era in Hospitality Vocational Education started off on the horizon of Karachi- Pakistan, with the foundation of Skillston (formerly, NICAHM). An industry (Hospitality) which was a neglected area since past many decades and with only one Institute (Government Owned) in the city of Karachi catering to the needs of the province / country. The fast changing geographical, political and economic environment in Pakistan particularly and in the region & globally generally, created a high need of such Institutes to come up, take responsibility and assist in providing facilities to have Pakistan’s youth (nearly 60% aged 18-36 yrs.) obtain Skill based vocational Certificates & Diplomas in Hospitality Sector.
Pakistan, since 2008 return to Democracy has shown a fast paced economic growth and becoming a hub of development activities in the region. With this, the influx of foreign visitors (primarily project specialists) started pouring in and thus the need of hotels, motels, guest houses even eateries, Entertainment & Amusement centers increased. This influx also increased with the opening of CPEC route and the increased security in the country. The CPEC route and the highways/roads infrastructure lead to local tourism. The local and foreign tourism increased by nearly 400% in KPK alone, especially in the Gilgit Baltistan Province. Statistics shows an average annual occupancy rate of 90% as of 2017 per Pakistan Hotel Association. The changing face of Pakistan required a hospitable & welcoming image, which is also a nature & culture of our people be trained per modern standards & projected to the global market.