Pakistan IT Industry Association (P@SHA) and the Institute of Business Management (IoBM) have held a meeting of the Industrial Advisory Board of the institute, which brought industry and academia together to discuss the revamping of academic programmes in computing and mathematics. M. Azam Mughal, Central Executive Committee (CEC) Member of P@SHA and Chair of its Finance Committee, co-chaired the meeting with Brigadier (Retd) Professor Dr Muhammad Abbas, Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (Military), Dean of the College of Computer Science and Information Systems (CCSIS) at IoBM. The association shared the update on its official LinkedIn page under the message of industry and academia collaboration.
The meeting discussed the revamping of the BS Computer Science, Mathematics, and Master’s curricula. According to P@SHA, the focus was on meeting the requirements of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) while addressing the current needs of the industry. Both considerations matter for a degree programme, since the HEC sets the framework that universities have to follow for their curricula, while employers look for graduates who are familiar with the tools, methods, and skills that are in demand in the technology sector. An advisory board that includes industry representatives gives the university a way to hear directly from companies about the gaps that they see in new graduates.
Industrial advisory boards are a common feature of technology and business schools, and they usually bring together senior executives and academics to review course content, suggest new topics, and discuss how students can gain practical exposure through internships and projects. The announcement from P@SHA did not list the specific changes that were proposed for the computer science, mathematics, and master’s programmes, nor did it mention a timeline for the revised curricula. The details of the revamp are therefore likely to be worked out by the faculty and the board in the coming meetings, using the input that industry representatives shared at this session.
P@SHA said that it remains committed to building closer links between industry and academia to prepare a future-ready technology workforce. The association represents the information technology industry of the country and has been taking part in discussions with universities and other institutions on skills and talent. The involvement of a member of its Central Executive Committee in the review of the programmes at IoBM reflects the interest of the industry in the content of what students learn, and the meeting adds to the engagement between P@SHA and the academic community on the question of preparing graduates for the IT sector.
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