Muhammad Saleem

The e-Rozgar centres established across Punjab are helping the youth learn crucial digital and freelancing skills to become self-employed. Dr Umar, a teacher of the Government College University, emphasised the need for the youth to be equipped with cutting-edge skills to cater to the needs of foreign clients. Talking to WealthPK, he said that the e-Rozgar initiative of the Punjab government is helping tackle the issue of unemployment. “Lacking digital skills will be tantamount to being illiterate in the future. Gone are the days when nations could compete internationally without proficiency. China serves as a prime example, transforming the world through its digital revolution. Its economy and skilled workforce are unparalleled,” he explained.  Umar suggested that Pakistan should adopt China's approach of training youth in modern technology.

He said the e-Rozgar centres are enabling the youth to earn a respectable living for their families. He stressed the need for a strong monitoring mechanism to ensure that these centres serve their purpose and the recipients learn the requisite training to be able to land jobs of their choice. “We have observed in the past that training projects failed to achieve their desired goals,” he pointed out. Umar said that local youth lack the resources to polish their skills. “However, the e-Rozgar centres are equipping them with modern digital skills and freelancing at no cost.”  The teacher said without embracing digitisation, Pakistan couldn’t compete globally. Discussing the impact of e-Rozgar centres on the economy of Punjab, Umar said the economic implications are significant as they are enabling freelancers to fetch much-needed foreign exchange for the country.

“By effectively training our youth in the IT sector, we can attract millions of US dollars annually to Pakistan.” Ali Raza, a freelancer who has received digital skills training, told WealthPK that market demands are changing due to the rise of Artificial Intelligence. He said the graphic designers once relied solely on software, a cumbersome process, but now AI has streamlined their workflow, allowing them to design through prompts. “We need to align our training modules to incorporate AI and ensure youth at these centers are trained accordingly," he said, emphasizing that technical, creative, and business skills are essential for the future, as fields like programming, mobile app development, graphic designing, content marketing, digital marketing and e-commerce are set to thrive. He said that training youth without considering AI would be ineffective.

Raza urged policymakers to redesign courses right away, keeping in view the rapidly changing AI-influenced trends. He observed that freelancing is evolving amidst the AI revolution, and it appears Pakistan is still unprepared to embrace this change. “I vouch for the effectiveness of the e-Rozgar project, having benefited from its training. However, that training now seems outdated despite being comprehensive a couple of years ago,” he added. “The world has become a global village, offering us ample opportunities to earn a living efficiently from anywhere in the world,” he noted. Raza emphasised that Pakistan couldn’t solely rely on traditional avenues to generate employment, and would have to embrace AI as it is transforming every segment of society.

Credit: INP-WealthPk