The second day of Tech Valley’s Digital Balochistan AI Launchpad focused on introducing students to the freelance economy and how they can turn digital skills into sustainable income, continuing the five-day initiative being run in partnership with the Government of Balochistan, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination, and USEFP as strategic partners. The program brings together 36 students from 11 public sector universities across Quetta, Turbat, Khuzdar, Mastung, Sibi, and other parts of Balochistan for an intensive week of technology and career focused training in Islamabad.
The day’s sessions were led by certified Tech Valley trainers Ameema Raja, Saima Gul, and Ahmed Ali, who walked students through setting honest income expectations for freelancing during a first year on the platforms, given that new freelancers often enter the market with unrealistic assumptions about how quickly paid work materializes. The trainers then covered the practical steps of building and protecting profiles on major freelance platforms including Upwork, Fiverr, and Workchest, an area that carries particular importance for students entering these marketplaces for the first time without prior exposure to how client relationships, ratings, and account security function on these sites.
Beyond platform mechanics, the session introduced students to Canva and Canva for Education, covering specific tools including Magic Design, Magic Write, Magic Media, and Brand Kit, before having students apply what they learned by producing a client ready design piece based on a mock brief. The day also covered writing product listings intended to sell, including how to structure titles, bullet points, and advertising hooks that perform well on e-commerce and freelance platforms, giving students a practical, hands on complement to the more conceptual material covered earlier in the day.
For many of the participating students, the session marked their first real exposure to global freelance platforms, an opportunity organizers noted is not always readily available to students from across Balochistan given the province’s relative distance from Pakistan’s major urban technology hubs. Through the joint efforts of the Government of Balochistan and Tech Valley Pakistan, organizers said the students gained the exposure, tools, and confidence needed to compete in global freelance markets, with three more days remaining in the launchpad program.
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