Five-month IT Internships offered

Govt launches paid opportunities as freelancing boom

LAHORE:

Punjab government has opened registrations for the second cohort of its Chief Minister IT Internship Programme, offering young information technology graduates paid, hands-on experience in leading tech companies as the province intensifies efforts to build a digital workforce aligned with global demand.

Launched under the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), the initiative places selected candidates in private-sector IT firms for five months, where they gain practical exposure to industry tools, workflows and project environments.

Participants will receive a monthly stipend of Rs50,000 during the internship, which authorities say is intended to support skill development while reducing early-career financial pressure.

Officials said the programme is designed to bridge the gap between academic learning and industry requirements at a time when the country's technology sector and freelancing economy are both expanding rapidly. The goal, they added, is to produce job-ready graduates who can either enter employment or transition into independent digital work.

Eligibility criteria require applicants to have completed a degree in information technology, computer science or a related field within the past four years. Candidates must hold a valid national identity card and Punjab domicile.

Authorities clarified that the stipend is subject to performance and submission of an attested degree. Students expected to graduate are not eligible, nor are applicants from unrelated disciplines.

Punjab IT Board Chairman Faisal Yousaf said the programme is part of a strategy to align education with market needs and strengthen the province's digital economy.

He said structured industry exposure would improve employability and help graduates compete in both domestic and international digital markets.

The initiative comes as Pakistan's freelancing sector continues to expand at a strong pace, emerging as a major source of foreign exchange and employment for young professionals. Recent data from the State Bank of Pakistan shows freelancers earned about $856 million in the first nine months of FY2025–26, reflecting growth in digital services exports.

Industry estimates suggest Pakistan has more than two million freelancers working in software development, design, content creation and digital marketing for global clients. The sector has become a critical pathway for youth employment, particularly as traditional job markets remain constrained.

Freelancing is also closely tied to Pakistan's broader digital transformation, where remote work platforms have enabled thousands of young professionals to earn income from international clients without office-based employment.

However, experts say growth is still constrained by infrastructure challenges, including power shortages, internet instability and payment processing issues, which continue to affect productivity.

Despite these constraints, the sector's expansion has strengthened expectations that Pakistan's IT workforce can play a larger role in global digital services markets.