LAHORE: The Punjab government has launched the “Skill Enhancement Through Home Reach Programme (Sehar)” to enable women across the province to acquire vocational skills from their homes.

Under the initiative, women residing in remote, semi-urban and urban areas will receive training in beautification services, hospitality and digital technology. The provincial government has allocated Rs970 million for the programme, which aims to provide vocational training to 5,365 women across the province.

According to officials, the programme will also provide trainees with laptops, internet devices, data packages and monthly stipends to facilitate learning. Widows, differently-abled women and women belonging to minority communities will be given preference under the scheme.

The hospitality training courses include culinary arts, baking, guest relations, front desk management and airline management. The first batch of trainees in Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan and Gujranwala has completed its training.

Women being offered digital, hospitality, beauty training courses

Beautification courses are being offered to 2,065 women in four districts that include hair styling, skin care, makeup and nail art.

Under the programme, 1,260 women are receiving hospitality training in collaboration with the Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (ITHM), while 2,040 women will undergo a six-month digital skills training course in partnership with the Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF).

The digital skills component includes training in e-commerce platforms such as Daraz and Shopify, English language, product research and financial literacy.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz congratulated the women completing their training and expressed her best wishes for their future success.

She said that economic empowerment of women would contribute significantly to the development of Punjab and the country.

Published in Dawn, June 23rd, 2026