KP Launches Multiple New Digital Skills and Economy Initiatives

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB) held a ceremony on several digital skills and economy initiatives, which was attended by several key, high-profile figures from KP, including the Minister for Finance & Health, Taimur Jhagra; Minister for Elementary & Secondary Education, Shahram Khan Tarakai; and the chief guest, Minister for Food, Science & Technology and Information Technology, Sports and Youth Affairs, Atif Khan.

The event was focused on the investment that KP has made in providing its citizens with better opportunities to enhance their digital skills in an effort to stay competitive and drive growth for the province in the digital age.

Amongst the several initiatives highlighted in the program, KPITB launched an orientation session for the KP Digital Internship Program, and other essential, citizen-focused services such as the KP Super App and Health Information Management System (HMIS) – innovative technologies that will greatly improve the accessibility and efficiency of public services in the region.

The event also featured an MoU signing ceremony with Code for Pakistan, and additional MoUs regarding the establishment of Software Technology Parks, signed with Malakand University and Kohat University of Science & Technology.

These initiatives aim to promote digital literacy and the development of a digital economy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, providing better and greater job opportunities for the citizens of KP.

The ceremony also showcased the achievements of the graduating startups, interns, and students, providing those in attendance with the real-life inspiration of what can be achieved when given the opportunity to network with industry leaders and potential investors.

From KPITB’s incubation center, Durshal, several successful startups were awarded seed funding; in total, over Rs. 12 million were disbursed after startups participated in a competitive selection process.

Additionally, KPITB launched the KP Women Civic Digital Internship Program in collaboration with Code for Pakistan, a 6-month internship program designed to upskill women graduates with technology skills, provide practical hands-on work experience, and prepare them for exploring careers in Software Development.

The program is the first women-centric program of its kind, where women will get an opportunity to work on citizen-facing digital services to improve citizen engagement, automate government processes, and create innovation in public service delivery.

Since its inception, the KPITB’s Durshal program has been successful in generating over Rs. 705 million in revenue over the course of four cohorts, along with creating jobs for over 1,324 individuals in six districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Separately, the digital internship program has trained a total of 2,157 interns, out of which 560 graduates are successfully employed in various public and private organizations, generating Rs. 13.1 million in average income per annum.

On the occasion, Minister Atif Khan, said, “The labor market is changing at an accelerating speed, which is why it is our focus to prepare our youth for careers in skilled trades and jobs of the future. It is my absolute belief that these programs, which are also equitable and inclusive, will create opportunities that will enable our youth to engage, gain in-demand skills, and prepare themselves for future employment.”

Dr. Ali Mahmud, Managing Director, KPITB, added, “By introducing these groundbreaking programs and apps under the digital economy and skills initiatives, we aim to bring a change in the lives of citizens. Our interventions will enable citizens to easily access public services, improving employment outcomes for citizens by equipping them with digital skills, and empowering our people to contribute to the digital transformation of our province.’’

Regarding the Software Technology Parks in Malakand and Kohat, Dr. Ali said, “Our collaboration with these institutions will promote academia and industry linkages and also bridge gaps in technology and infrastructure access in secondary and tertiary cities. This will help boost IT exports.’’

He further added that the partnership aims to encourage collaboration, digitization, and innovation in both traditional socioeconomic sectors and emerging technologies.

The event also celebrated the successful completion of training programs of around 200 students from KP’s newly merged districts in a Directorate of Science and Technology (DoST) project, Shalman School of Technology, which was established to provide quality education at District and Tehsil-levels to the students in the following areas:

• Digital Citizenship
• Introduction to ST & IT
• Leadership/Entrepreneurship
• Design Thinking
• Professional Communication

The Minister concluded the ceremony, noting that the digital skills and economy initiative are a testament to the potential Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has in becoming a leader in the digital economy, stating, “We look forward to seeing the impact of this initiative and more in the years to come in strengthening our province. By building a workforce with strong digital skills, our province can and will position itself as leading Pakistan in the global digital economy.”