With policies and initiatives centered around a digitised economy, functioning of institutions and ecosystems, Pakistan has started to witness unconventional digital growth in recent years. The federal government is making all possible efforts to strengthen the country’s Information Technology (IT) sector, which has an incredible potential to open up new investment avenues and streams of income for the national economy.
Platforms like the National E-Tijarat Portal, which was recently launched by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, are surely going to make a difference in the longer run. As the first e-commerce web portal in Pakistan, it is paving the way for the establishment of centralised trade networks and transparent financial systems by the implementation of advanced technology.
In a bid to capitalize on the constantly increasing importance and scope of freelancing in today’s digital world, the Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunication (MoITT) in collaboration with the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) has introduced the National Freelance Training Program (NFTP). This platform offers state-of-the-art freelancing training and skills development courses to hone the skills and capabilities of self-employed professionals and freelancers in Pakistan.
In this blog, we have put together a detailed overview of the NFTP to help you learn more about this government-backed initiative that aims to help aspiring freelancers in the country achieve their professional goals.
The Scope and Reach of National Freelance Training Program
The National Freelance Training Program has been launched on a large scale. To cater to the aspiring freelancers across all four provinces, the NFTP has taken on board some of the country’s top-notch universities and their faculty members to offer courses and training programs as well as to conduct workshops for skill development.
This training platform for freelancers is now available in more than 18 cities with dozens of registered centres and is already serving over 21,000 trainees. It is not only based on on-campus sessions but there are also online sessions organised on the official Facebook page of the NFTP to cater to a larger audience.
Courses and Training Programs Offered in National Freelance Training Program
If you are willing to join the NFTP, it is currently offering the following courses and training programs.
Freelancing: It will help you enhance your freelancing skills. You would learn how to capatalise on your learning and experience on different freelancing platforms, such as Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer.com and PeoplePerHour among others.
Technical: This is more suitable for web developers and programmers. You’d get trained for some of the most useful development and software programming tools in today’s world, for example, CSS, SQL, WordPress, PHP and other types of programs.
Content Marketing and Advertising: It is a range of non-technical training courses and workshops that mainly target people belonging to the digital media and marketing industries. Aspiring professionals could learn a lot about social media strategies, creative and engaging content creation, blogging, SEO and lead generation via digital marketing tactics by enrolling in these courses.
Creative Designing: The NFTP also offers a variety of courses centered around the field of graphic design. These courses are a great opportunity for young people to get trained by some of the industry’s most skillful and experienced graphic designers and visualisers.
How to Apply for National Freelance Training Program?
Applications for the NFTP open on a quarterly basis. The process and eligibility criteria are very simple, detailed as under:
- The very first thing you need to do is to visit the official website of the NFTP.
- Now, click on the registration button and then you’ll have to enter your CNIC.
- Carefully read the terms and conditions shown on the screen before clicking on the “agree” button.
- You’ll then be redirected to a screen where you have to fill out a form with your personal, contact, academic and/or professional details.
- You’ll then get a confirmation email with a link and your login credentials for the website.
- Once your application is submitted and your account is created, you have to take an online test to qualify for the NFTP within the next 48 hours, otherwise, your application will be rejected.
Eligibility Criteria and Document Requirements for NFTP
- You need to be below 40 years of age and have at least 14 years of education to apply for this programme.
- A valid CNIC and a domicile certificate are required to register for the National Freelance Training Programme (NFTP).
- Students who are already enrolled in one of the partnered institutes of the programme need to submit their valid student ID and other relevant documents if required.
Duration of NFTP Courses and Training Programme
The duration of courses and training programmes offered in the National Freelance Training Programme is 3 months. The programme caters to three batches of trainees for each of the skill development training courses in a year. Upon completion of your three-month training, you get a certificate recognising your achievements by the NFTB.
NFTP Centres Across Pakistan
Here’s a region-wise list of the campuses and branches of the partnered universities and financial institutions located across the country.
Sindh
- Mehran UET, Jamshoro
- University of Karachi
- NED University, Karachi
- QUEST, Nawabshah
- IBA, Sukkur
Punjab
- National Textile University, Faisalabad
- University of Education, Lahore
- University of Education, Multan
- PMAS-Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi
- The Islamia University, Bahawalpur
Balochistan
- Balochistan University of Engineering and Technology, Khuzdar
- Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences
- University of Balochistan, Quetta
- Turbat University, Turbat
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Institute of Management Sciences (IMSciences), Peshawar
- University of Engineering & Technology Mardan
- University of Malakand
Gilgit Baltistan
- Karakoram International University, Gilgit
Azad Jammu & Kashmir
- University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Muzaffarabad
Federal Capital
- International Islamic University, Islamabad
Contact Information of the National Freelance Training Program
If you have any further questions, you can use the following contact details to get in touch with the concerned NFTP officials.
Contact number: (042) 99030127
Email address: info.nftp@pitb.gov.pk
Or fill out the inquiry form on the NFTP web portal.
There you have it — a detailed overview of the National Freelance Training Program.
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