Digital hunar programme

The unemployment rate in the country stood at 4.4% in 2020. There are predictions of a further rise in the number of the jobless in the ongoing year due to the prolonged prevalence of the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has proved a blessing in disguise, as in developing countries, it has made governments and private-sector employers realise the potential of the internet as a vehicle for providing new jobs and saving jobs of those who are already employed. The Government of Pakistan too is alive to the situation and equipping the youth with digital skills to absorb them in the job market. The government plans to train 25,000 educated young persons, particularly from disadvantaged segments of society, in digital skills in order to enable them get online jobs. These youths to be equipped with the required skills will be trained under the Ehsaas Digital Hunar Programme.

Pakistan is in an advantageous position as its youth comprises 60% of its total population. This is one of the biggest youth bulges in the world, and what is needed is to equip them with the kind of education and skills in demand not only within the country but the world over. Now digital technology is the top choice. According to the Higher Education Commission, at present the country’s universities and colleges are turning out 500,000 graduates annually, but some of them are unemployable because they lack skills which are in demand in the job market. The government’s programme aims at removing this shortcoming by training young men and women in the latest technology and skills.

The coronavirus pandemic has created an enormous demand for those with digital skills. After the end of the pandemic too, the online world will continue to be one of the biggest job providers. The government’s initiative is pragmatic and commendable because digital technology is the in-thing in the present-day world, and it is doing what could not have been imagined before its arrival on the scene.