Under its “Entrepreneurship on Wheels” Programme, the Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF) has partnered with Careem to start dedicated training for rickshaw and delivery captains between November 2020 and July 2021. The National Highway and Motorway Police (NHMP) will perform the training.
Under the scheme, 800 rickshaw captains will get training in road ethics, the use of signs for navigation, and practical driving and mechanical skills training. Qualified applicants who have completed two months of training successfully, will obtain their driving licenses and be entered into the Careem Super App. If required, the captains would also be able to use the opportunity to rent a car. The costs of their preparation, assessment and acquirement of driving licenses will be borne by PSDF, while Careem will provide a forum for their earning.
Speaking about the alliance, Jawad Khan, CEO of PSDF, reiterated the dedication of PSDF to provide income generation opportunities for young people, considering the challenges raised by the Covid-19 pandemic. “The collaboration with Careem is an example of how PSDF is innovating during this crisis and providing young people in high-growth industries with market-relevant skills. Our previous experience has shown the effectiveness of programmes consisting of short boot camp style training with a strong realistic component and a laser focus on revenue generation.”
Careem Pakistan Chief Executive Officer and Country General Manager Zeeshan Hasib Baig commented on the partnership, “Careem is one of Pakistan’s largest platforms that has created employment opportunities by registering more than 500,000 captains in several verticals so far. We will continue to move this project forward and make an impact around the country by collaborating with PSDF.”
Although the pandemic in some industries has resulted in layoffs, continuous growth has been seen in e-commerce and online distribution. The collaboration of PSDF with Careem to train delivery riders leverages this ability to give unemployed and underprivileged young people the opportunity to earn themselves a sustainable income. By June 2021, the aim is to train 650 such individuals in six districts of Punjab.
