CaterpillHERs — a Pakistan-based company that helps women launch and scale their businesses and careers — has partnered with Upwork — the world’s work marketplace — to provide women in the CaterpillHERs cohort access to coaching on Upwork Academy, which is an interactive learning hub that provides career tips, upskilling opportunities, and other educational resources.
As part of the collaboration, members of the CaterpillHERs career accelerator program will receive tools, resources, and coaching related to working and succeeding on the Upwork platform.
Hira Saeed, the CEO, and founder of CaterpillHERs, said, “The partnership between Upwork and CaterpillHERs will allow us to bridge the gender gap in the freelancing industry by providing women in our career accelerator with verified and vetted content on using the platform and also receiving hands-on coaching by the team at Upwork. Upwork’s support and coaching to women in our cohort have definitely been a game-changer for us”.
With 63 percent of Pakistan’s total population below the age of 25, there is massive potential for freelancing growth The country also ranks fourth in the world for its growth in the freelancing market. Women can become the epicenter of this growth by leveraging their existing skillsets and learning new skills remotely. Due to the care work responsibilities that women have in a country like Pakistan, freelancing can be a life-changing career option for them.
CaterpillHER’s Director, Faiza Yousuf, said, “The hands-on coaching from Upwork’s team makes the platform more approachable and less scary for these aspiring freelancers. I have worked with Upwork before and their team is always super supportive. They truly are an inclusive organization and that is why our values align so well”.
Commenting on the development, Fran Murphy, who currently works as Vice President of Community at Upwork, “One important aspect of building and scaling a freelance career is learning and growing from people that have done it before and having the support of a like-minded community. We’re proud that we can provide coaching for members of CaterpillHERs so that they can connect, learn, and grow, and have a more engaging Upwork experience”.
CaterpillHERs is a platform that helps women launch and scale their businesses and careers. The company provides a world-class curriculum vetted by experts, 1:1 high-touch coaching and mentorship, and an action-packed yet flexible learning experience through acceleration programs.
Its career accelerator’s freelance track is a 12-week remote, flexible, and interactive course that enables women to launch and scale their freelance careers to new heights.
