WISE Lab has opened applications for a free four week bootcamp for women entrepreneurs in Quetta, under its Micro-Entrepreneurship Program. The bootcamp is meant for women who already run a business and want to take their next step, and it starts from a simple point, that running a small business takes more than knowing your craft. It means finding customers, managing costs and making decisions every day. Women in Quetta who want to apply can scan the QR code on the official poster or use the application link.
The training is practical and focused on the daily problems of small business owners. Participants will learn how to plan their business, negotiate with buyers and suppliers, price their products and services with confidence, and use their phones to reach customers and sell. Many women in Quetta run businesses in areas such as stitching, embroidery, food, beauty and handicrafts, often from home and with little formal training, and these skills can help them move from selling to a small circle of known customers towards a wider market. Top-performing trainees will also be able to access PKR 500,000 in loans and grants, which gives the best participants a chance to put what they learn into practice with real funding.
The programme is funded by Ignite National Technology Fund under the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, and it forms part of WISE Lab, a national platform for women-led ventures. WISE Lab is implemented by Jazz, Mobilink Bank and Change Mechanics, and it plans bootcamps for micro-entrepreneurs in every province as well as Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, aiming to reach women who may never travel to the capital. The Quetta bootcamp brings that plan to Balochistan, a province where women face particular barriers to training, finance and markets.
The announcement does not state the start date of the bootcamp or a deadline for applications, so interested women are advised to apply early and to follow the official channels of WISE Lab for updates. The programme’s message to women business owners is a direct one, give your business the attention you give your craft.
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