February 20, 2023
MOU Signing with Lahore School of Economics.
PSDF and LSE launched a pilot Digital Skilling Program to train female students at Government Colleges.
PSDF and LSE have created an innovative pilot Digital Skilling Program that aims to understand how Pakistan’s female citizens can be best encouraged to participate in the workforce. In this pilot training program students from select government colleges will be given access to digital courses on Coursera (the world’s largest e-learning platform) to learn in demand professional skills in the current job market.
This pilot program is different from others of its kind because it will engage both the female students and their parents to understand some of the barriers to why parents may choose not to invest in daughter’s education and identify relevant issues that prevent girls from taking up skills training programs.
The pilot program is part of PSDF’s program areas Uraan and e-tayyar which aim to implement crucial digital skills that increase women’s confidence, access to skills that increase their employability. The partnership with Lahore School of Economic (LSE) is to conduct research and create evidence-based development programs that will accelerate the socio-economic abilities of female citizens and encourage female labor force participation (FLFP)
One of the biggest issues facing Pakistan is the low level of female participation in the job market. Even though many women want to work, studies have shown that lack of encouragement, family support and lack of adequate skills prevents women from entering the labor force and accessing income-generating opportunities.
For the nation’s progress and given the economic crisis that has gripped the country, women need to be consistently encouraged on both a family and national level to pursue their careers and given the right skills so they can enter the job market.
The pilot program is expected to complete in March 2023 and will train 300 female trainees in digital skills. Students will also receive a stipend upon completion of their training. Based on the success and evidence generated by the pilot – this training program will be launched on a bigger scale.