US Agency for International Development (USAID), 15 national and multi-national trade firms, and a group of recent university graduating females marked the successful completion of second round of 'Women in Trade Management Training and Mentorship Programme'.
The Programme's closing ceremony brought together 17 of 48 participating women from Karachi, their employers, and USAID representatives to commemorate the accomplishments of the programme and its stakeholders. The top management of Pakistan's international trade sector also attended the ceremony which held at a local hotel here on Tuesday. "Every day with WIT was a new day for me. I learned more than what Management Trainees learn at bigger multi-nationals or corporations. I am very thankful to WIT for helping the start of my professional life in an environment very relevant to my field," Khadija Arshad, Management Trainee told Business Recorder.
The international trade sector in Pakistan currently employs very few women in managerial positions. A USAID-funded study showed that women comprise less than 10 percent of management and 20 percent of junior staff in trade companies. USAID's Women in Trade initiative works to set up linkages between international firms and local universities so that more women have opportunity to explore careers in international trade.
Zara Nadeem and Rida Hussein also expressed pleasure to be the part of the programme of USAID, saying that they have been selected from universities directly through interviews.
"On completion of Internships, we have been offered jobs in same firms and we are happy with our careers. We are thankful to USAID as with their support, we became able to enter in the multinational firms, got trainings and than jobs as well," they added.