Role of Trained Women Workforce in China - Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC): A Gender Gap Analysis.

Pakistan as a developing country is facing critical issues where skilled labour, brain-drain of qualified professionals, lack of technical education and awareness are considered underlying factors for unemployment and underemployment. In the controversial debate about CPEC, the misperception is that it is related to road connectivity and energy projects only. CPEC, beyond this narrow connotation, is about preparing the country to receive not only massive amounts of Chinese investment, but also cross cutting integration of trained personnel and culture. The current picture for trained personnel in the context of CPEC places a huge challenge for Pakistan unless we have a qualified and broad-based human resource in different sectors. This challenge is further aggravated by the lack of qualified and trained women workforce. With economic globalisation, evident through CPEC, there is a call for a comprehensive human resource development policy for women at national level. The paper identifies gaps with regards to training for women in Higher Education sector, awareness of opportunities for women and their participation in small and medium enterprises that come along CPEC inherently such as logistics, services, food processing, and cultural and media related collaborations. This qualitative research is based on data and interviews from women in academia, business and media as primary sources. The findings reveal that educated women need to be given trainings and awareness on CPEC from entrepreneurial, cultural and economic perspectives so that sustainable and positive impact of CPEC is widely reflected in society through women participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]