ISLAMABAD by IMTISAL BUKHARI
Prime Minister’s SkillTech is a landmark initiative with six flagship programmes to nurture Pakistani youth with internships, certifications and industry hubs
[Karachi, 22nd September 2025] – The Ministry of IT & Telecom and the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) hosted a landmark event called “Building Tomorrow” to announce the launch of “Prime Minister’s SkillTech Pakistan” programme – a transformative new platform for digital skills development and capacity building.
The programme’s key features are about opportunity, empowerment and a promise to enable every young Pakistani to showcase talent across globally recognized tech skills such as AI, blockchain amongst others.
The announcement for the SkillTech programme was officially made by Federal Minister for IT & Telecom, Shaza Fatima Khawaja. She said, “The ‘Prime Minister’s SkillTech Pakistan’ platform will introduce six flagship programmes that will equip Pakistan’s youth with globally competitive skills whilst supporting tech companies in achieving international compliances by strengthening industry linkages. This platform reflects our commitment to building a future-ready workforce and positioning the country as a premier global tech destination.”
Federal Minister also paid tribute to the Prime Minister, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, and his vision towards building a Digital Nation Pakistan. She remarked, “We have already trained more than 3 million Pakistanis through our DigiSkills initiative leading to a record figure in IT exports crossing US $691 million between July and August 2025. This initiative is a step forward in realizing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s vision of putting Pakistan on the map as a key player in the global digital economy.”
The CEO of PSEB, Abu Bakr, added,“Prime Minister’s SkillTech Pakistan programme is about making our youth employable, competitive, and confident in the global marketplace. We have ambitious plans and hope to train more than 2.1 million Pakistanis within the next three years. This is our roadmap to positioning Pakistan as the digital hub for this region – by empowering students and enabling the industry.”
SkillTech Pakistan spans a wide range of interventions. Skill Bridge, one of the main flagship domains, aims to bridge the academia-industry gap by connecting ICT graduates with employers through paid internships and apprenticeships. The Certified to Export (C2X) domain will enable IT firms to secure international certifications, including ISO and GDPR compliance. Skilllift 1.0 bootcamps will provide advanced training in AI, cloud computing, web development, mobile applications, and software quality assurance.
