Women empowerment key to progress: Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan

Islamabad : Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Thursday praised the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission for taking effective measures for empowering women with employable skills and creating opportunities for women to get trained in advanced technological skills.

“Women empowerment is key to national progress and the current government is committed to empower women by making them economically independent as per vision of the Prime Minister," she told the launching ceremony of the Hunarmand Pakistan Programme organised by the NAVTTC at Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi.

The SAPM said the Hunarmand Pakistan Programme was the only way forward to prepare young boys and girls to face the challenges of modern technologically competitive world.

“In Naya Pakistan, women will have equal opportunities in all spheres of life,” she added.

Dr Firdous congratulated Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Usman Dar and NAVTTC Executive Director Dr. Nasir Khan for their untiring efforts for advancing gender equality and making the Hunarmand Pakistan a success. She advised the women to benefit from the initiative for own development.

Speaking on the occasion, SAPM on Youth Affairs, Usman Dar said Kamyab Jawan programme is the country’s largest skill development programme. “Prime Minister’s vision of Pakistan’s socio-economic development cannot be achieved without empowering women”, he said. “To face challenges of 21st century it is paramount that we train our women in the emerging technologies along with men”, he added. He said around 500,000 young boys and girls will be trained under Hunarmand Pakistan programme. The graduates of Hunarmand Pakistan Programme will also be given loans if they wish to set up their own small-scale businesses, he added.

“The NAVTTC is committed to empowering women, harnessing their potential and bringing them to the forefront and thus, diminishing the existing gender gap in TVET,” said Executive Director of NAVTTC Dr. Nasir Khan.

He said seeing the overwhelming response from the women in high-tech and high-end training programmes, the NAVTTC would increase seats for women in the second phase of the Hunarmand Pakistan Programme.

"NAVTTC is offering training in high tech trades at Fatima Jinnah University, Rawalpindi, where more than 100 female are getting training in artificial intelligence, machine learning/deep learning, robotics and Internet of things. Around 3,800 applications from women were received for these courses," he said.

Vice Chancellor of the Fatima Jinnah University Saima Hameed appreciated the steps taken by the government for making women self-sustainable and providing them with opportunities to play a positive role in the future building of the nation.