ISLAMABAD – July 29, 2025: After a year-long pause, the DigiSkills 3.0 program has officially been launched by Ignite National Technology Fund, aiming to train 3 million individuals in high-demand digital skills. The program will be rolled out over 3.5 years, and the first batch starts on August 1.
The initiative, launched under the Ministry of IT and Telecom, continues to be executed by the Virtual University of Pakistan, making it the largest free online skills training program in the country’s history.
In this new phase, DigiSkills 3.0 will offer 25 courses, including 15 existing programs such as:
Freelancing
SEO
WordPress
Digital Marketing
Creative Writing
Graphic Design
And 10 new cutting-edge courses like:
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
UI/UX Design
Mobile App Development
All existing courses have been revised and upgraded to align with international freelance market trends.
300,000 seats are now open for Batch 01 on a first-come, first-served basis. Ignite has made it clear that no additional seats will be added once the limit is reached, urging interested individuals to enroll immediately via the DigiSkills website.
Since its inception in August 2018, DigiSkills has trained over 4.5 million learners in two previous phases. However, the delay in launching Phase 3.0 sparked heavy criticism from stakeholders, including members of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on IT, which in May 2025 condemned the one-year gap.
Ignite attributed the delay to the non-appointment of a CEO and the failure of the board, headed by the Federal IT Secretary, to convene meetings. Officials now say the time was used to modernize the curriculum and prepare for evolving digital trends.
