GCWUS concludes internal grant research project

SIALKOT, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Jun, 2026) The Department of Psychology, Government College Women University Sialkot (GCWUS), Wednesday concluded its ORIC Internal Research Grant project "Professional Skill Development Training Center for Women"

The department also holds seminar presenting experimental research findings on the impact of professional skill training on women's empowerment and livelihood opportunities.

Prof. Dr. Adnan Adil (Principal Investigator and Chairperson, Department of Psychology) and Dr. Salbia Abbas (Co-Principal Investigator), in their addresses informed the study's key findings. A paired-samples t-test comparing pre- and post-training scores returned a statistically significant result, with a large effect size suggesting the training program produced meaningful, not merely detectable, change in participants' professional competencies. For context, large effect sizes in educational intervention research are not especially common. When they do appear, they tend to signal that something in the program design actually connected with how participants learn and apply skills.

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The training comprised 8 evidence-based online workshops totaling 32 credit hours. Delivering the program online was a deliberate design choice, not a logistical convenience. For many participants, that flexibility may have been the condition that made participation possible. The program reached GCWUS students, university alumni, and women in the community of Sialkot, with 230 participants completing the workshops and receiving certificates in acknowledgment of their commitment.

The ceremony closed with remarks by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Shazia Bashir. It is worth pausing on what that moment represented. The ORIC Internal Research Grant was initiated at GCWUS for the first time under her leadership.

The event brought together faculty, researchers, students, project beneficiaries, and departmental representatives for what became a genuine conversation about scaling and sustaining such programs beyond a single grant cycle.