ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on Friday said the ministry remains committed for the development and uplift of the country’s youth.
He claimed that 389,071 students have benefitted from various projects, workshops, training, and startups under the Ministry of IT during the period from August 2018 to September 2019.
Youth are our asset and every possible step will be taken for their uplift, said the minister in a statement, adding that the youth of Pakistan have great talents and they are focusing on the development of youth.
He said the Ministry of IT is making efforts to equip youth with IT and digital skills to increase their employability potential. He said that adoption of technology is vital for the uplift and prosperous future of our youth.
According to details, 389,071 youth benefited from projects, workshops, startups, and training launched by the attached departments of the Ministry of IT during the last year of the present government.
The number of students trained in Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal project of Universal Service Fund (USF) is 10,000 during this period. Under another program of USF, ICT facilities were provided in Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) schools and colleges, and about 100,000 students have been imparted training since August 2018.
Under Digiskills.pk program of Ignite, 215,527 students were enrolled and given online training during last one year. Furthermore, over 3700 students of different educational institutions have been provided funds to complete their projects under Final Year Project Fund.
About 1,023 startup members contributed for development of startup ecosystem with the support of Ministry of IT and 10,481 jobs were created through National Incubation Centers (NICs) at Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi and Quetta.
During this period, 47,804 youth attended workshops/trainings at NICs. Under Virtual University projects, 63 students were involved in 11 different projects till now.
About 410 students benefitted from multiple conferences/seminars and workshops organised by Virtual University, and 54 students from different institutions were provided trainings, internships and research facilities at VU from August last year to September this year. Nine students of Virtual University were awarded seed money by Student Startup Business Center.
