Ba-Ikhtiyar Nojawan Internship – Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives

The government of Pakistan has introduced the Prime Minister’s Ba-Ikhtiar Naujawan Youth Internship program (BNIP) to address the issues of Educated youth’s lack of jobs barring their entry into the labor market. Launched by the Federal Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, BNIP will award 60,000 paid internships to all eligible applicants that qualify under the program’s selection criterion for a duration ranging from six months to a year. Following their selection, the Ministry will place interns in positions relevant to their skills and role in host organizations spanning across the public, private and development sectors. Interns will receive a monthly stipend ranging from PKR 25,000 to PKR 40,000. Upon the successful completion of their internship, interns will be awarded an internship certificate by their host organization and by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives.

There are two sub-components of BNIP – Work-for-Skills Internship Program (WSIP) and Build-for-Skills Internship Program (BSIP).

Objectives:

The key objectives of the internship program are to:

Equip educated youth with requisite technical skills through on-job training
Give educated youth the work experience they require for entering the labor market
Bridge the gap between employment needs of educated youth and the labor needs of the job market
Provide low-cost talent across all sectors

Work-for-Skills Internship Program (WSIP):

Under the Work-for-Skills component of Ba-Ikhtiyar Naujawan Internship Program, 40,000 paid internships will be awarded to fresh graduates in public, private and development sector organizations of Pakistan for a duration of 6 months. Interns will receive a monthly stipend of Rs. 25,000 conditional upon the completion of their monthly deliverables.

Eligibility

Nationality: Pakistani
Level of education: Minimum 16 years of education or higher. Minimum 14 years of education permissible for flood-affected regions, Balochistan, rural Sindh, South Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s merged districts
Last degree completed within 2 years of the last date of internship application
Employment status: Currently unemployed
Age limit: 30

Inclusion:

40 percent of all internships under the Ba-Salahiyat Naujawan Internship program have been reserved for females in order to address their low labor force participation. Similar shares have been introduced for transgender, differently abled people, people from less developed and people from flood-affected regions of Pakistan to pave way for their social and economic inclusion. 10,000 of all internships have been allocated for Balochistan. Affirmative selection and placement criteria of interns that prioritize historically marginalized youth groups will significantly contribute to the reduction of economic inequalities along regional and social lines.

Application Process and Selection Criterion:

The application will be a three-step process. In the first step, the applicant will be required to share their education details. In the second step, applicants will be required to indicate their current employment status and internship preferences. In the final step, applicants will be required to complete a short close-ended analytical test.

A weighted composite score for each applicant will be computed using their educational scores and scores in the analytical test. Applicants will first be grouped by gender only for open merit, and by both gender and region for all other allocated placement positions. Applicants will then be ranked by their weighted composite scores within their respective groups. Applicants with the highest scores within their group will be selected for the internship program against the available number of placements.

Internship Certificate:

All interns will be awarded an internship certificate by their host organization and by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives upon the successful completion of their internship. The award of internship certificate will be conditional on the submission of all internship deliverables.

Build-for-Skills Internship Program (BSIP):

Under the Build-for-Skills component of Ba-Ikhtiyar Naujawan Internship Program, around 20,000 interns will be hired for a period of one year in new/ongoing Public Sector Development Projects (PSDPs). Interns with 16 years or above qualification shall be paid a monthly stipend Rs. 40,000 while three years’ diploma holders will receive a monthly stipend of Rs. 30,000. Upon the successful completion of their internship, interns will be awarded a certificate by the concerned Project Director and by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives.

Eligibility:

16 years of education in any field or 3 years’ diploma of associate engineer, paramedic/technician courses, or any other recognized three-year diploma after intermediate in a technical field from a recognized body/ institution in the field relevant to the project.
Age-limit up to 30 years and no age relaxation on any ground.
Domicile of the respective district is mandatory.
Candidates who have once availed an internship opportunity under this program will not be eligible for another internship in any other project (s) under this policy.

Application process and Selection criterion:

Applicants will register themselves through CNIC and Domicile. After the registration he/she will provide personal and academic details. All candidates are allowed to apply for five projects at most. Shortlisted candidates will be called for an interview and will be required to bring their attested and verified educational documents. Selection of candidates will be based on interviews and educational scores.

Internship deliverables:

In addition to the day-to-day tasks at the project, interns will be required to attend mentorship sessions with leading mid-career professionals and submit monthly progress reports. At the end of his/her internship period, the intern will also be required to submit a report based on his/her experiences, lessons learned and suggestions for improvement in the program.

Internship certificate:

All interns will be awarded an internship certificate by the concerned Project Director and the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives upon the successful completion of their internship. The award of completion certificate will be conditional on the submission of all internship deliverables.

Current Status:

Applications for BNIP opened on March 21, 2023. They were closed on June 7th for WSIP and on July 7th for BSIP.

The project is now in the final phase of placement, with both components placing interns in respective sectors.