Google Announces 15,000 Scholarships for Pakistanis...



Globally popular search engine Google has introduced Citizen Career Certificates to provide Pakistanis with adequate learning opportunities to acquire the most in-demand digital skills required for employment.

In a statement issued in Karachi, Google said that as part of its mission to 'Unlock Pakistan's Digital Potential', it is offering 15,000 scholarships this year through its local partners - Institute of Rural Management (IRM) and Ignite - to create an equitable and has also strengthened its commitment to enable inclusive digital economy with the involvement of academic institutions, industrial partners and non-profit organizations.

According to a report by Alpha Beta, digital technologies, if fully exploited, could generate 9.7 trillion Pakistani rupees ($59.7 billion) in annual economic growth in Pakistan by 2030.

Pakistan's ICT sector has seen remarkable growth in the last decade, growing at an average annual rate of 30-20%. ICT-related exports recently rose to US$5 billion, and the Ministry of Information and Technology believes the sector "has the potential to become (the country's) largest export industry".

Currently, about 4.7% of Pakistan's workforce works in the ICT sector, of which six percent, approximately two million workers, are women.

According to data available on Pakistan's leading job portal rozee.pk, the highest number of vacancies is also in the ICT sector.

Farhan Qureshi, Google Regional Director for Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, said, “Today we are proud to announce the Google Career Certificates as part of the Grow with Google program. We are also offering 15,000 scholarships in partnership with the Institute of Rural Management and Ignite so that students can get their certificates for free. This effort is an expression of Google's commitment to play an important role in ensuring the development of the country's digital ecosystem.

This certification program will open up new opportunities and enable developers, students, teachers, job seekers and businesses to grow faster. Public-private partnerships have also been established for this purpose as we want to develop Pakistan's digital industry.”

 Available on the online learning platform Coursera, are self-paced online programs that allow students to learn without prior experience or a degree. It enables them to create new job opportunities for themselves in six areas such as data analytics, IT support, IT automation, project management, UX design, digital marketing and e-commerce۔

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Each course is developed by Google's in-house experts and is designed to equip students with essential skills through hands-on training that allows them to progress at their own pace while providing opportunities for further education or employment.

Syed Dr. Hasan Rizvi, data science intern at the Institute of Engineering Career said, “Though there may be hurdles and difficulties along the way, but if you want to succeed, you have to be persistent. I have now completed my Google Data Analytics certification after immersing myself in the world of data - it was a great learning opportunity. I now feel more confident and ready to learn and grow.”

Muhammad Zulwanwareen Hussain, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, Bahria University, Lahore Campus says, “This certification has had a profound impact on my professional life. Now I am recognized all over the world and I get job offers from all over the world. The sky's the limit for me now!”


To give more Pakistanis the opportunity to use Google Career Certificates, Google will also provide 15,000 scholarships to students to get the certificate for free. Google will provide these scholarships through IRM and Ignite