Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB) will train 2500 young women in the second phase of their program that emphasizes digital skills training for women. The project – which had earlier trained 500 women – is meant to contribute to the digital economy of the province, while strengthening the larger digital ecosystem of Pakistan.

‘Women Empowerment through Digital Skills’ is a component of the KPITB’s initiative Digital Jobs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 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 the newly merged districts.

Ziaullah Khan Bangash, advisor to Chief Minister of KP on Science and Information Technology, said the initiative reflected the government’s continued efforts to promote technological interventions and to build women’s capacity to benefit from digital employment opportunities.

Bangash hoped that the program would set an example for other provinces. “We are quite optimistic that the program will create numerous opportunities for women in Khyber Pakhunkhwa”, he said.

Dr. Sahibzada Ali Mahmud, KPITB Managing Director, elaborated that ‘Women Empowerment Digital Skills’ is one of the several initiatives taken by KP to educate youth and to provide a digitally skilled workforce to the IT industry.

Maira Yousaf, a resident of Peshawar and a graduate of the first phase of the program, shared that she found her course of social media marketing to be well structured. “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, told that the course targets beneficiaries in the age group of 18-30. Elaborating the eligibility criteria, he said that the women with KP domicile who have a minimum of intermediate education could apply for the program.

He further said that the second cycle will be also conducted online and on-campus training depends on the prevailing situation of COVID-19.

The program offers courses such as social media marketing, graphic designing, WordPress design and development, blogging 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 concluded.