ICCI, NUST to Improve Competitiveness of Industry

News Desk

Islamabad: President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, along with his delegation, visited the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) and discussed with its Rector, Lt Gen Javed Mahmood Bukhari, the collaboration to enhance the industrial competitiveness and academia’s linkages.

He also discussed collaboration for improving the competitiveness of the local industry through strong academia-industry linkages, according to a press release issued here on Saturday.

Speaking on the occasion, Lt. Gen. Javed Mahmood Bukhari, Rector of NUST, briefed the ICCI delegation about the role of NUST in promoting future leaders and job creators for a positive impact on society and the economy. He said that NUST has created an ecosystem to promote research, innovation, and productivity.

He said that academia has cutting-edge research while industry faces practical challenges and problems; therefore, close cooperation between NUST and ICCI would help resolve issues in industry and produce innovative products for export. He said that NUST and ICCI should join hands in students’ mentorship programmes to give them practical skills and experience that would improve their employability.

Speaking on the occasion, the President of the ICCI stressed the need for close academia-industry linkages to address industrial problems and improve the competitiveness of industry, which would help enhance industrial activities and exports.

He said that universities were producing a lot of research, which was not benefiting the industry. Therefore, close collaboration between academia and industry will help tailor such research to meet the needs of industry, he said, adding that Indian IT graduates have reached the top positions in some big companies like Google, Microsoft, and IBM and stressing that Pakistani universities should produce IT professionals to lead the top-ranking companies in the world.

He said that with better focus, Pakistan can increase its IT exports from currently around US$ 3 billion to US$ at least 50 billion in a few years.

Faad Waheed, Senior Vice President, ICCI, said the academia-industry linkages can lead to the commercialization of academic research, promote innovations, and improve the economic growth of the country.

Azhar ul Islam Zafar, Vice President of ICCI, said that ICCI and NUST should join hands to develop curricula and training programmes that align with the needs of the industry.

Zafar Bakhtawari, former President of the ICCI and Secretary General of UBG Pakistan, said that students prefer government jobs or migrate to foreign countries. However, universities should focus on fostering entrepreneurship in students that offers them prosperous careers.

He said that in the West, students idealise business role models like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk and stressed that the universities in Pakistan should invite business leaders to address students that would motivate them to idealise the business role models and explore career growth in the business field to create new jobs and contribute to the economic development of the country.