LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has launched the Skill Enhancement through Home Reach Programme (Sehar) to enable women across Punjab to acquire vocational skills from their homes.
Under the initiative, women residing in remote, semi-urban and urban areas will receive training in beautification services, hospitality and digital technology. The provincial government has allocated Rs970 million for the programme which aims to provide vocational training to 5,365 women across the province. The programme will provide trainees with laptops, internet devices, data packages and monthly stipends to facilitate learning. Widows, differently-abled women and women belonging to minority communities will be given preference under the scheme.
The hospitality training courses include culinary arts, baking, guest relations, front desk management and airline management. The first batch of trainees in Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan and Gujranwala has successfully completed its training.
In collaboration with Nail Bar, beautification courses are being offered to 2,065 women in four districts. The courses include hair styling, skin care, makeup and nail art. Under the programme, 1,260 women are receiving hospitality training in collaboration with the Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management while 2,040 women will undergo a six-month digital skills training course in partnership with the Punjab Skills Development Fund
The digital skills component includes training in e-commerce platforms such as Daraz and Shopify, English language, product research and financial literacy. Maryam congratulated the women completing their training and expressed her best wishes for their future success. She said economic empowerment of women would contribute significantly to the development of Punjab and the country. “When the women of Punjab become economically strong, Punjab will progress,” she said.
The chief minister said the SEHAR programme aimed to transform Punjab’s female population into a valuable economic asset by providing them with opportunities for growth and self-reliance. She expressed confidence that the home-based vocational training initiative would yield encouraging results and enable women to earn livelihoods independently and become productive members of society.
She said the Punjab government would also facilitate job placement opportunities for women completing the training programme. She said the objective of providing vocational training at women’s doorsteps was to promote gender equality and ensure greater participation of women in the workforce.
Meanwhile, Maryam expressed sorrow over the demise of former MNA, MPA and senior PMLN leader Malik Ghulam Haider Thind. In her condolence message, she extended condolences to the bereaved family and prayed that Allah Almighty grant eternal peace to the departed soul and bless the family with patience and fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.
