Punjab launches Technical Skills Programme for Transgenders
Last updated on April 22nd, 2025 at 11:27 am
To pave the way for social and economic empowerment among its transgender community, Punjab has initiated a technical skills programme for transgenders. It has been led by the Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) and is sponsored by the provincial government. This technical skills programme transgender is meant to train transgender individuals with skills that are in market demand, including specialized IT skills for transgenders, as a means to foster sustainable livelihoods and minimize marginalization. It is considered a huge milestone in Pakistan’s effort to integrate transgender people into the formal economy with targeted capacity-building and inclusive policies. For the first time in Punjab, the provincial government has taken a grand step in introducing an inclusive technical skills development program for technical skills for transgenders . It is indeed a historic step toward empowering transgenders toward a life of dignity and self-sustenance. With the vision of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and the slogan, “Transgenders will earn with dignity, not by begging,“ the program aims to remove barriers of discrimination and create an equal opportunity for their employment.
پنجاب نے خواجہ سرا کمیونٹی کی سماجی و معاشی خودمختاری کے لیے ایک تاریخی تکنیکی مہارتوں کا پروگرام شروع کیا ہے، جسے پنجاب اسکلز ڈویلپمنٹ فنڈ (PSDF) چلا رہا ہے اور صوبائی حکومت کی سرپرستی حاصل ہے۔ اس منصوبے کا مقصد خواجہ سرا افراد کو مارکیٹ کی ضروریات کے مطابق خصوصی آئی ٹی سمیت دیگر ہنر سکھانا ہے تاکہ وہ باعزت روزگار حاصل کر سکیں۔ وزیراعلیٰ مریم نواز کے وژن اور نعرے “خواجہ سرا بھیک نہیں مانگیں گے، باعزت کمائیں گے” کے تحت یہ اقدام امتیاز کے خاتمے اور برابری کے مواقع فراہم کرنے کی طرف ایک اہم قدم ہے۔
Technical Skills for Transgenders
In the first phase, 1,600 transgender persons will be trained in various trades by the Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF). Empowerment is the focal point of this initiative that aims to offer training in information technology and freelancing, and the first-ever training in healthcare support for the province’s transgender community. There is also a vocational training in skills such as tailoring, fashion designing, electrical installation, solar technology, beauty care, and culinary training, which will support proper employment opportunities. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz called for social change, explaining that it is very sad that most of the time, trans persons have been treated with cruelty and rejected altogether. They are rejected by society for being incapable of supporting themselves. We should not forget that if these people are provided with talent and taught to work with dignity, society will appreciate that these people can earn with their skills, regardless of gender.
She added, “Now we are not just talking about training; it’s about the restoration of the dignity of transgender persons in society. These technical skills programme began with an ambition on the ground; they have already begun their harvest.” For developing this initiative will be implemented with the Punjab Skills Development Fund, the key implementing agency. The program primarily focuses on imparting such technical talent for transgenders that are already in consideration of the market, so that the trainees can rather engage themselves in any meaningful jobs or self entrepreneurship.
Key Characteristics of technical skills programme for Transgenders
Target Group: 1600 IT Skills for Transgender in two years
- Skill Areas: Includes vocational trades like beauty services, culinary arts, domestic tailoring, performing arts, and very importantly, IT skills for transgenders
- Training Model: Combination of on-the-job training and classroom instruction
- Support Services: Toolkit provision, indirect loan availability, legal documentation services (CNIC Registrations)
- Community Mobilization: Networking with Khawaja Sira Society to mobilize trainees and offer culturally sensitive mentorship
- Focus on IT: This is perhaps going to be one of the most radical transformations of a programme because it recognizes the growth of the digital economy and the possibility of working from there. Therefore, under the following areas, IT training is provided: Basic computer literacy, Graphic design, Digital marketing, Data entry and management, Web development fundamentals. Such skills lead to being a second-millet bridge between transgenders and the rumored worlds of freelancing and entrepreneurship opened by the digital IT world that are loosely dotted by traditional workplace discrimination.
- Trainers: This part of the program has involved transgender people in training and mentoring. Dedicated Training Spaces: Classes and training centers are modified to meet trainees’ needs for security and comfort.
- Holistic Curriculum: It includes soft, financial literacy, and awareness of health and legal rights, along with the core technical skills.
Functions of Technical Skills Programme Development Fund
Designing and providing the programme
Partnering with civil society organisations, for example, the Khawaja Sira Society for outreach and mobilization. Monitoring and evaluating the progression and employment outcomes of trainees. Facilitate linkages between employers and financial institutions for post-training services. However, the PSDF model emphasizes sustainability through relevance to it and is imparted with market demand and continued support to the entrant in transitioning to the workforce.
پی ایس ڈی ایف کا ماڈل پائیداری پر زور دیتا ہے، جس میں مارکیٹ کی ضروریات کے مطابق تربیت دی جاتی ہے۔ خواجہ سرا سوسائٹی جیسے تنظیموں کے ساتھ شراکت سے رابطہ و شمولیت کی جاتی ہے، جبکہ تربیت کے بعد ملازمت، مالی اداروں سے رابطے اور کارکردگی کی نگرانی کا نظام بھی شامل ہے۔
Community Engagement and Supporting Services
The identification of possible trainees is done in collaboration with Khawaja Sira Society main partner in the community, for active provision of essential support services, which include:
- Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) assistance
- HIV testing and health awareness programs.
- Capacity-building workshops that prepare trainees for employment.
- Regular follow-ups ensure that the employment success rate is maximized.
- This assures that the initiative is contextualized in the social lived realities of the transgender community and further addresses barriers beyond skills acquisition.
Socio-Economic Impact
This programme will produce many significant positive results:
- Economic Empowerment: Individuals engage and equip themselves with the abilities to earn jobs or create businesses to reduce poverty and informality.
- Social Inclusion: The programme involves transgender individuals in formal training and work, thus breaking societal stigma and promoting acceptance.
- Legal and Health Benefits: CNIC registration and health services give access to social safety nets and healthcare.
Countering the Marginalisation of Transgender Community in Punjab
Transgender persons in Pakistan continue to be subjected to systemic barriers in education, employment, and social acceptance, notwithstanding progressive legislation like the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018. Many do not possess formal identity documentation, which severely constrains their access to training opportunities and formal job markets. Transgender people have been pushed to the margins of economic activities, thus accepting informal and often vulnerable livelihoods throughout history.
اگرچہ پاکستان میں خواجہ سرا افراد کے حقوق کے تحفظ کے لیے 2018 کا قانون موجود ہے، لیکن انہیں تعلیم، روزگار اور سماجی قبولیت میں مسلسل رکاوٹوں کا سامنا ہے۔ شناختی دستاویزات کی عدم دستیابی کے باعث وہ تربیت اور باقاعدہ ملازمتوں سے محروم رہتے ہیں، اور غیر رسمی و غیر محفوظ ذرائع معاش پر مجبور ہیں۔
Conclusion
This is a step where the Punjab government is taking an initiative through Punjab Skills Development Fund to empower the transgender community by launching a technical skills for transgenders for members of the community: The path opened towards economic independence and social inclusion through traditional trades as well as emerging sectors, specifically IT, including comprehensive IT techniques for transgenders; which has thereby made it a program for historic marginalized sections empowering people.
