After successfully equipping 500 females with digital skills from the province, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board has embarked on the next phase of the journey to train 2500 young women further and boost the digital economy of the province in specific and Pakistan in general. The said initiative is a component of KPITB’s initiative, “Digital Jobs in KP, ” applications that have been opened for registrations.

‘Women Empowerment through Digital Skills’ is a component of Digital Jobs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa project, an initiative of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB), funded by Multi-Donor Trust Fund, administered by The World Bank and executed by DEMO and TechValley Pakistan. The program aims to train 3000 women across the seven divisions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including newly merged districts on employable digital skills to ensure women’s inclusion in the digital economy.

While talking about the success of ‘Women Empowerment through Digital Skills Program’ Ziaullah Khan Bangash, Advisor to Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Science and Information Technology praised the initiative and also assured the continuity of government efforts for promoting such interventions and developing the capacity of women to benefit from digital employment opportunities. He encouraged females to come forward and contribute their part to the digital economy. Bangash further added that this program would set an example for other provinces to follow. “We are very hopeful that with the help of this program, different job opportunities will emerge for women across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he added.

Managing Director KPITB Dr Sahibzada Ali Mahmud elaborated that ‘Women Empowerment Digital Skills’ is one of the many initiatives taken by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to encourage and educate the youth and provide a digitally skilled workforce to the industry of Information Technology. Dr Mahmud further added that these training programs are significantly increasing youth’s digital skills, and it provides them with the opportunities for earnings.

Maira Yousaf, a resident of Peshawar and a graduate of the first phase of ‘Women Empowerment through Digital Skills Program’, expressed that she completed her Social Media Marketing Training. The course was very well structured. She furthered that the trainers provide them with basic and advanced knowledge about Social Media Marketing through interactive live sessions. “They equipped me with the right tools to help me get started in this field,” she added.

Muhammad Bilal, Project Manager of Digital Jobs in KP revealed that women between 18 to 30 years of age, holding KP Domicile and have a minimum of Intermediate education are eligible to apply for this training program. He further said that the second cycle of “Women Empowerment through Digital Skills Program” will also be conducted online and on-campus training depending on the prevailing situation of COVID-19. Applicants can enrol themselves into one of the following digital skills currently being offered; Social Media Marketing, Graphic Designing, WordPress Design and Development, Blogging & Content Writing, and Digital Tools Productivity.

“Applicants for this training program must have access to a computer with a good internet connection. They can apply online at www.kpyep.com/we before December 21, 2020,” Bilal underlined.