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Training for Women IT Service Providers (Her Power Project)
Overview:
In alignment with Bangladesh’s vision to foster inclusive digital development, Shooting Star Ltd., in partnership with Women and e-Commerce Ltd., is leading the implementation of a transformative initiative under the Her Power Project: Empowerment of Women Through ICT Frontier Initiative. This 18-month assignment, launched in October 2023, aims to provide professional IT training and freelancing opportunities to 1680 women across 21 Upazilas in Bangladesh. This ambitious project is set to redefine women’s participation in the digital economy.
Background:
As freelancing and IT outsourcing continue to rise in global demand, Bangladesh has emerged as one of the leading nations in digital freelancing. However, the participation of women—especially from rural and semi-urban areas—remains significantly low.
To address this gap, the Her Power Project was launched by the ICT Division with the goal of promoting digital inclusion and employment for women. The project focuses on building ICT capacity, entrepreneurial mindsets, and self-employment pathways, enabling Bangladeshi women to thrive in domains such as:
- Graphic Design
- Website Design
- Software Development
- Data Entry & Processing
- Mobile App Development
- Creative Writing & Content
Our Comprehensive Solutions:
Shooting Star Ltd. crafted a full-scale training ecosystem tailored to reach, train, and transform over 1680 women. Our key interventions included:
- Targeted Awareness Campaigns to attract participants and communicate the opportunity at grassroots levels in 21 Upazilas.
- Online Screening & Lab-Based Aptitude Tests to ensure effective candidate selection.
- Batch Selection & Training Management: 88 total batches with a 25% buffer for dropouts, ensuring strong retention.
- Curriculum Design with three tiers of learning:
- Level-1: 88 hours
- Level-2: 264 hours
- Level-3: 88 hours
- 528+ Hours of Hands-On Lab Training focusing on real-life freelance marketplace scenarios.
- Three Evaluation Stages to monitor trainee progress and readiness for the freelance market.
Entrepreneurship Building: All training integrates a business-oriented mindset to help trainees initiate their own IT-based ventures.
Challenges:
- Cultural and Gender Barriers: In many Upazilas, traditional perceptions limited women’s involvement in tech training.
- Digital Infrastructure: Varying levels of internet access and device availability posed difficulties for online components.
- Skill Diversity: Trainees came with different education levels and digital exposure.
How we overcame them:
- Conducted orientation sessions for local families and communities to build trust.
- Established on-site labs in every Upazila to reduce dependency on external tech infrastructure.
- Provided English and communication skill training alongside technical modules to ensure workplace readiness.
Results (ongoing but impactful):
✔️ 1680 Women Trained Across 21 Upazilas — A record-scale initiative with one of the largest all-women batches in the country’s ICT sector.
✔️ A Nationwide Workforce Is Emerging: The first set of graduates have already begun submitting proposals and completing tasks on Upwork and Fiverr.
✔️ Mass Awareness Created in rural areas about the potential of freelance work for women.
✔️ Entrepreneurial Growth: Participants are now developing mobile apps, managing web content, and setting up their own digital services.
Why It Matters:
This project is not just about training—it’s about transforming lives. In regions where opportunities were once rare, we are witnessing a wave of digital empowerment. Women are now earning, leading, and innovating, not just for themselves but for their families and communities.
Shooting Star Ltd. is proud to be at the forefront of this movement—bridging the gender gap in digital freelancing and proving that empowered women empower nations.