World Youth Skills Day,observed annually on July 15, highlights the importance of equipping young people with practical skills that improve employability and create pathways to decent work...
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Ahead of World Youth Skills Day, observed every year on July 15, conversations around young people often centre on education, careers and the skills needed for the future. Yet, across Karachi, many youngsters are learning their trade in places far removed from classrooms. Their lessons come not from textbooks but from years of observation, patience and hands-on work, acquired under the guidance of experienced craftsmen.
In Karachi’s scorching summer, with temperatures climbing above 40 degrees Celsius, workshops across the city become classrooms of a different kind. Here, young apprentices spend long hours learning practical skills alongside experienced mechanics, one repair at a time.
One such apprentice is a young boy Ali, whose days revolve around engines, punctured tyres and restoring old vehicles. Like many others learning a trade at a young age, his classroom is a mechanic’s workshop, where every task becomes a lesson.
Ali is learning under the guidance of Rashid, owner of an old workshop tucked away in the nitty gritty of the city. For Rashid, restoring antique cars has been a lifelong passion, but passing that knowledge on has become just as important. “There has always been a love for antique cars since my childhood,” Rashid says. “The beauty you see in old cars can always be preserved if it is respected.” Antique cars demand patience, precision and countless hours of manual work, making Ali an important part of the workshop. Over time, Rashid has come to admire the teenager’s willingness to learn.
Though they are not related by blood, the veteran mechanic has become Ali’s mentor, teaching him skills that can only be learned through experience. “He’s a good kid,” Rashid shares. “In this competitive field, finding someone who genuinely respects the machine is rare. Ali listens. He wants to learn. And he doesn’t argue.”
Outside the workshop, a classic 1990s Mercedes-Benz W124 sits with its hood raised towards the sky. The vintage vehicle has become Rashid’s latest restoration project, requiring hours of troubleshooting beneath the open shade.
The day begins with Rashid and Ali cleaning a newly arrived engine before moving on to another vehicle waiting to be repaired.
For Ali, the work quickly becomes physical. Sitting cross-legged on the hard brick pavement alongside fellow worker Saad, he carefully works through the cylinders of an engine block, his hands already stained with grease. Asked whether the dirt ever bothers him, Ali smiles, “This dirt is what brings food to our houses.”
Later, he moves on to repairing punctured tyres, his favourite part of the day because, as he puts it, “it’s easier.”
A 12-hour shift inside the workshop feels like entering a world ruled entirely by the relationship between man and machine. Petrol fumes hang heavily in the air, mixed with rust, oil and the afternoon heat. Time is measured by broken engines arriving one after another and the patience needed to repair them.
The conditions are far from ideal. A single water cooler and a bucket of rubbing compound serve as the only means of hydration and cleaning up. A dangerously exposed switchboard hangs from one wall, while grease-covered work clothes are piled nearby.
But Ali’s story does not end at the workshop.
During his afternoon break, he slips into his slippers and heads home, just a 10-minute drive away to his home. The modest three-bedroom house is shared by his mother, grandmother, three brothers, two sisters and two maternal uncles.
It is here that the women in his life become the centre of his story. Behind many such young apprentices are women whose contributions rarely receive the same attention. Mothers who keep households running despite limited means, grandmothers who wait for them after long days and sisters who continue chasing their own ambitions while supporting their families. Their invisible support often becomes the foundation on which these young people build their futures.
His mother keeps the household running while caring for a large family. His grandmother eagerly waits for his daily visit, even when there is little she can offer beyond conversation. “The gas situation is very bad in our house,” she laments. “Otherwise we would always make him tea and food during his break.”
The kitchen, though small, becomes the family’s meeting place. In the evenings, Ali often sits on the counter, sharing stories from the workshop with his mother and grandmother after another long day surrounded by engines. The family’s determination is visible everywhere.
One brother works as a tailor from a small room inside the house. Another spends his days delivering orders.
Ali’s two younger sisters are still in school, both dreaming of becoming doctors one day. While Ali is learning to rebuild engines, they hope to build careers in medicine. Their ambitions may be different, but they are rooted in the same values of hard work and perseverance.
Photographs hanging on the walls tell stories of birthdays, grandparents and family milestones, small reminders that despite financial hardship, there is still room for celebration.
As evening falls, Ali returns to the workshop before finally heading home, where his day often ends listening to stories from his grandmother.
For him, cars have become more than a livelihood. They are his classroom and Rashid his mentor. Yet, behind every lesson learned in the garage is a family whose encouragement keeps him going.
