Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Monday launched the ‘Skill Enhancement Through Home Reach Programme (SEHAR)’ aimed at providing home-based vocational training to women across the province and enhancing their economic participation.
Under the programme, women living in remote, semi-urban and urban areas would receive training in beautification services, hospitality and digital technology. The Punjab government has allocated Rs 970 million for the initiative, which seeks to impart vocational skills to 5,365 women across the province.
Programme components and beneficiaries
According to official details, the programme would provide trainees with laptops, internet devices, data packages and monthly stipends to facilitate learning. Preference would be given to widows, differently-abled women and women belonging to minority communities.
The hospitality training component includes courses in culinary arts, baking, guest relations, front desk management and airline management. The first batch of trainees in Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan and Gujranwala had successfully completed training.
Beautification and digital skills training
Under a collaboration with Nail Bar Pakistan, beautification courses covering hair styling, skincare, makeup and nail art were being offered to 2,065 women in four districts. In addition, 1,260 women were receiving hospitality training in partnership with the Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (ITHM), while 2,040 women would undergo a six-month digital skills training programme in collaboration with the Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF).
The digital skills component includes training in e-commerce platforms such as Daraz and Shopify, along with English language proficiency, product research and financial literacy.
Chief Minister’s remarks
Congratulating women who successfully completed their training, the chief minister expressed confidence that the initiative would help transform Punjab’s female population into a productive economic force. She said the economic empowerment of women would contribute significantly to the development of Punjab and the country, adding that when women become financially strong, the province progresses as well.
CM Maryam Nawaz said the SEHAR programme was designed to provide women with opportunities for growth, self-reliance and sustainable livelihoods. She expressed hope that the home-based vocational training initiative would produce encouraging results and enable women to earn independently and play a more active role in society.
The CM also announced that the Punjab government would facilitate employment opportunities for women completing the training programmes, adding that the objective of delivering vocational training at women’s doorsteps was to promote gender equality and increase women’s participation in the workforce.
