Benazir Income Support Expands Skill Development
The programme's expansion will increase its impact, enrolling 2,500 students in six-month TVET courses, and strengthening BISP's Information Technology and Cybersecurity Wing with the World Bank's assistance, ultimately leading to better opportunities and higher incomes for its beneficiaries.
The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) is set to expand its Benazir Hunarmand programme, aiming to equip youth, especially women, with essential skills for economic uplift and poverty reduction, with a focus on increasing workforce participation and higher incomes through benazir income initiatives.
A meeting was held at the BISP Headquarters in Islamabad, led by Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid, where potential collaboration between BISP and the World Bank (WB) on Pakistan's Skill Development Project was discussed. The meeting also included a review of BISP's performance on disbursement-linked indicators and a focus on enhancing the technical skills of BISP field staff through specialized training initiatives.
The WB assured BISP of its "full support" in strengthening BISP's Information Technology and Cybersecurity Wing, with both parties agreeing to establish dedicated teams to propose measures for digital and cybersecurity assistance. The Benazir Hunarmand programme, introduced in 2024, has so far focused on four districts and is set to expand to cities like Quetta, Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad by 2027.
The programme will enroll 2,500 students in six-month TVET courses, increasing its impact and commitment to improving the lives of its beneficiaries. BISP Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid emphasized that skill acquisition leads to better opportunities and higher incomes, highlighting the programme's focus on economic uplift and poverty reduction.
The expansion of the Benazir Hunarmand programme is a significant step towards achieving the goals of the Benazir Income Support Programme, with a focus on empowering youth, especially women, and promoting economic growth and development in Pakistan.