Pakistan to uplift IT sector to boost economic growth, foreign exchange

ISLAMABAD, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that his country has been making prudent policies to uplift the information technology (IT) sector to boost economic growth and generate foreign exchange.

"A sustainable and advanced information communication technology system is being established to position Pakistan as a central hub for the IT sector in the region," the prime minister said while chairing a meeting on IT.

In this regard, he said that local companies will be provided with a skilled workforce to enable them to meet international standards and generate foreign exchange, adding that steps are being taken to formulate modern training programs for youth and establish a training ecosystem in the country.

Calling young workforce a valuable asset for Pakistan, Sharif said that information technology training was being provided in schools, colleges, and universities, besides ensuring IT training in summer camps during the ongoing summer vacations.

During the ongoing summer vacations, over 146,000 students will receive IT training and 2,000 students will be trained in advanced IT courses to become employable.

Through collaboration with international partners, he said efforts were underway to provide IT training to an additional 80,000 students in major cities, and through online classes in remote areas of the country. ■