KPITB to establish NFTP centres, expand NICs

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB) has signed agreements for establishment of National Freelance Training Programme (NFTP) Centers and expansion of National Incubation centers in the province.

The KPITB, Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and five universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa signed agreements for establishment of NFTP centres and expansion of National Incubation Centres (NICs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The NFTP centers will be established at the University of Malakand, Institute of Management Sciences Peshawar and Gomal University Dera Ismail Khan while NICs will be established in Kohat University of Science and Technology and University of Swat.

Speaking at the ceremony, Advisor to Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Science and Information Technology Ziaullah Bangash said that investing in the youth will open new avenues of economic stability through digital transformation. He added that the partnership would prove to be a stepping stone towards the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan for a digitally resilient Pakistan.

Expansion of National Incubation Centres will promote capacity building of universities involved and will provide sustainable income opportunities and play a pivotal role in creating new jobs in KP, he added. The National Freelance Training Programme & National Incubation Centers are sponsored by the Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunication with a vision to provide skills required for Freelance Training to empower youths and to promote technology and entrepreneurship across the country.

On the occasion, Chairman PITB Azfar Manzoor said that the National Freelance Training Programme aimed to reduce unemployment by providing hands on freelance training to 22,800 individuals through 20 centers across Pakistan. Out of these, three centers in KP will train 1,350 individuals annually to monetise their skills through internet-based freelancing.