Under the chairmanship of Federal Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, the seventh meeting of the National Committee for ICT Skills and Capacity Development convened to accelerate efforts on ICT skills across Pakistan. Participants emphasized the need to strengthen partnerships between industry and educational institutions to ensure that digital training meets market demands.
Officials were informed that, in collaboration with Huawei, 100,000 ICT trainings have been completed to date, contributing to workforce readiness in emerging technology areas. The committee set an ambitious target of 300,000 ICT trainings, signaling a concerted push to scale digital capabilities nationwide.
Deliberations focused on linking education to employment, with special attention on equipping computer science students with job-ready competencies before degree completion. Members stressed that internships, practical labs and industry-aligned modules are essential to translate academic learning into immediate workplace value.
There was broad agreement that emerging technologies must become a core part of the curriculum to keep pace with global trends. Committee members highlighted curriculum reform and capacity building so that graduates are conversant with technologies driving digital transformation.
Attendees included the Secretary IT, Ministry of IT and Telecom, the Secretary IT Gilgit-Baltistan, representatives from the Ministry of Education, the Higher Education Commission, Pakistan Software Export Board, Pakistan Skills Development Fund, NUST, GIKI, Huawei and officials from various TEVTAs. The Federal Minister reiterated the need to prepare a skilled human resource aligned with the Prime Minister’s Digital Pakistan vision to meet future economic and technological demands.
