KARACHI   -  Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has approved Rs 500 million to start IT Certificate programs to enhance IT skills of students and professionals across the province focusing on poverty reduction strategy. The CM said that the program would provide practical skills and industry-recognized certifications to stand out in a competitive job market.

To this effect, a meeting regarding the signing of memorandum of understanding (MoU) was attended by Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Chairman HEC Prof Tariq Rafi, Secretary to CM Raheem Shaikh, Secretary Information, Science & Technology Noor Ahamad Samon, Secretary U&B Abbas Baloch, VC NED University Dr Suresh Lodhi, VC IBA Sukkur Dr Asif Shaikh, VC Mehran University Prof Tauha Hussain, IT Dept’s Member Ayaz Uqaili and others here Friday.

Secretary of IT Noor Samo briefed the chief minister that the NED University would offer IT courses in Karachi Division and Tharparkar District, Mehran University would cover Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas Divisions and Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkur and IBA University would cover Larkana Divisions. The program is initially designed to benefit 10,000 youth, with the potential for scaling up. The CM has provided Rs. 500 million to the Sindh IT dept under the `Initiative of Capacity Building’ to the respective universities, he told.

 The chief minister was informed that the IT Certificate program included Certified JAVA Developer, Certified Python Developer, Certified Database Administrator, Certified Graphic Designer, Certified E-Commerce Professional, Certified Digital Marketing Professional, Certified Web Developer, Certified Mobile Application Developer and Certified Data Scientist.

 In response to a question, Secretary IT Noor Samoo informed the chief minister that each certificate had a two-month duration. The certification courses will be conducted five days a week, from Monday to Friday. Each batch will consist of 30 to 35 participants. The program will be conducted in two phases; IT certification in the first phase and incentivization of the selected/top-ranked participants. All IT certifications will be offered physically at the centres, he told.

At the conclusion, an MoU was signed by the Sindh IT Secretary with NED University Karachi, IBA Sukkur, Mehran University Jamshoro.