PASHA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bahria University on June 18, marking a structured step toward strengthening collaboration between academia and Pakistan’s technology industry, with the agreement focused on bridging skills gaps and improving the employability of technology students entering the workforce.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Ali Hasani, Secretary General of PASHA, and Vice Admiral Abid Hameed, Rector of Bahria University, in the presence of Dr. Sonia Saleem, Central Executive Committee Member at PASHA, and Syeda Safa, Skills Development Associate at PASHA. The signing brought together senior leadership from both the technology industry association and the university, underscoring the institutional weight both organisations are placing behind the partnership rather than treating it as a symbolic gesture.
During the ceremony, Dr. Sonia Saleem emphasised the importance of stronger industry-academia collaboration in addressing the persistent gap between the technical skills universities teach and the practical competencies that technology employers actually require from graduates. This gap has been a recurring theme across Pakistan’s technology sector, where universities often produce graduates with strong theoretical grounding but limited exposure to industry tools, workflows, and professional expectations, making structured partnerships between academic institutions and industry bodies an increasingly important mechanism for closing that divide. As a gesture of appreciation for PASHA’s engagement, Vice Admiral Abid Hameed presented a commemorative shield to Dr. Sonia Saleem during the ceremony.
The partnership between PASHA and Bahria University adds to a growing list of formal collaborations between Pakistan’s technology industry association and academic institutions across the country, reflecting a broader strategic push to align university curricula and industry needs more closely as Pakistan continues to scale its information technology export ambitions. Both organisations affirmed their joint commitment to building a more skilled and future-ready workforce for Pakistan’s digital economy, with the agreement expected to translate into concrete initiatives spanning training programmes, internship pathways, and curriculum input from industry practitioners in the period ahead.
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