The IEEE Communication Society (ComSoc), Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET), Student Branch Chapter in collaboration with IEEE ComSoc Karachi Chapter, IEEE ComSoc Karachi Section, and QS World Merit organized a workshop titled “Discovering the Abilities in Graduating Students Towards the Self-Assessment, Job Readiness, and Job-Hunting Techniques” at U.S.-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCAS-W) auditorium, MUET Jamshoro, Pakistan.
The objective of this workshop was to provide career counseling and awareness about the possible job opportunities for fresh graduates. This workshop aimed to develop job hunting, self-assessments, and job readiness skills along with the career roadmap for fresh graduates. The guest speaker of this workshop was Waqas Soomro who is working as CEO of Smart Mentor.io. The workshop was formally started with the recitation of the Holy Quran and the national anthem of Pakistan.
Dr. Umair Ahmed Korai, Assistant Professor Department of Telecom Engineering MUET and Vice-Chair IEEE ComSoc Karachi Chapter welcomed the chief guest, guest speaker, organizers, and participants.
Prof. Dr. Aftab Ahmed Memon, DEAN Faculty of Electrical Electronics and Computer Engineering, MUET Jamshoro, attended the workshop as a chief guest. After the welcome address by Dr. Umair, the guest speaker Mr. Waqas delivered his lecture for 01 hours and 30 minutes.
Waqas made the students aware of general questions being asked during an interview. He also discussed the main skills required for jobs. He further gave directions for writing a personal resume. He shared his visions and ideas about emerging social media apps, such as LinkedIn, and its benefits for developing careers as most people have initially started their career through social media apps like LinkedIn.
The total number of participants in this workshop was 94 out of which 23 were IEEE members and 71 were non-IEEE members. As the capacity of the USPCAS-W auditorium is more than 200, hence COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures were also followed. Before the end of the workshop, many questions were asked from the participants and were answered very well by Mr. Waqas. The workshop was then ended with a special thanks to the guest speaker Waqas Soomro, coordinator, organizers, and participants by Ms. Hafsa Noaman, Chair IEEE ComSoc MUET Student Branch Chapter followed by a group picture with the guest speaker and organizing team.

Are our universities and institutions recognized as think tanks or a great resource for the benefit of national development?
Iqbal Yousuf Shaikh: There is a big gap here in this respect. Engineering Universities and other institutions float several commercially viable projects but they fail to get recognized although they earn a huge appreciation at the exhibition level. The projects designed and made by the students who have to run the country don’t go beyond exhibitions. Yes, very few organizations do encourage students and their projects through venture capital. But still, they eye their benefit first. At government levels also, the recognition of innovators and their projects remains arrested around the speeches only. Aptech displays 200 selected projects out of its 600 projects every year but the result is the same.
ER: Why is that so that we {our universities} do not have recognition? What are the reasons?
IYS: Maybe the objectives of government organizations and the industry that are supposed to recognize the institutions, innovators, and projects are different. They seem interested in just showing the numbers; they do not go beyond it. The students need finances to bring the projects to market-ready levels, then they need mentorship which also finds itself in a narrow street because of their constraints.
ER: It means we get recognition as think tanks in principle, but what we need is the practical acknowledgment and that will come only after government and industry approach institutions.
IYS: Yes, exactly.
ER: Many heads of the universities claim they are in liaison with the industry. Do you think it varies from one institution to another?
IYS: Yes, It does. Because it depends on the head of the institution how proactive he or she is and what their vision is. Secondly, it also depends on how the industry looks forward to the institutions.
As a head of an IT institute, I see a serious gap between institutions and the industry. Pakistan got a boost in IT after Covid – 19 pandemic. Our graduates are ready to serve the market but the demand is different.
ER: But there are many projects in the market; everything is going to become IoT-based and other emerging technologies are flooding the market. It means Aptech should also be flooded now.
IYS: Yes, Aptech is preparing over 8000 students only for the software industry. Also, we share with the industry what IT skillset we are giving to our students keeping in view the national and global IT industry demands. There are a variety of industries that work for Pakistan and the international market. We seek the information of new and requisite skills needed in the market. This process goes on continuously for making the students market ready.
ER: Do you have any mechanism through which Aptech is in touch with local and international IT industry for giving latest skill sets to its students?
IYS: We prepare professionals for local industry which plays a role of proxy for global industry. Also, we are formally in alliance with a few global IT institutions besides informal contacts with many institutes around the world. Aptech has its presence in around 40 countries of the world. We get their inputs as regards the requirements of their market they operate in. Since we are not a traditional institution, we introduce changes in our course for two years and incorporate new skills. Because, the technologies continue upgrading and thus forcing us to design courses as per new demands in global markets.
ER: How do you cope with the flood of emerging technologies and their upgradation?
IYS: Yes it is a huge challenge. We remain always on our toes in an environment of flood of emerging technologies. Even the fresh candidate knows what we are offering and if it is any older technology. Sometimes, two years seems a big period for any course that are to be looked into as faster as newer skill sets enter the arena. We focus on emerging technologies and what we do is to induce in our course newer technologies once they start overshadowing the older ones.
ER: What is the biggest challenge that you face while running this institute in this world of emerging technologies?
IYS: The biggest challenge is that HEC does not allow our students to acquire bachelor’s degrees from engineering universities. International universities recognize them and allow their enrolment for degree programs but the doors of our own universities remain closed. These candidates should be allowed to take admissions in engineering universities on open merit.
ER: Can you share an achievement that you believe is unforgettable?
IYS: It’s the satisfaction that Aptech is playing a role, no matter the smaller one. Many students did not have money to pay fees for admissions to Aptech and we took care of them. Among our students were one son of a small vendor, another son of an ironsmith, and yet another who used to sell bananas on the road have turned out to be bright and earning in lakhs now. The one who was a banana seller is now the CEO of a world-recognized company and the son of an ironsmith is in Sharjah. n

“I am a student of this university, this is my alma mater. Belong to this city where I was born, got educated here, got a bachelor’s degree from this university, and began my career at this university and eventually became the vice-chancellor. Thus I know all about this university”.
ER: Are our universities are recognized as think tanks by the governments and the engineering industry?
Dr. Saleem Samoon: In the developed world, the input of universities is received at government levels. Here in our country, this process has been started lately. This input is being acquired through advisory bodies like HEC and PEC where engineers and vice-chancellors are members of their think tanks. This reception is confined to the inputs being given at HEC and PEC levels but universities {through Vice-Chancellors or senior educationists} are not on government think tanks. All planning process takes place at the government level where input from the universities should reach directly. We (universities) are in a much better position to give our input for the planning at the government levels for our wide reach as regards the identification of major issues such as reforms in the education sector including curriculum. For example, we (QUEST) are located in the high-temperature zone. In the backdrop of climate change, we usually don’t welcome it but high temperatures are a gift that can be used for power generation and other benefits. We can solarize every facility here.
ER: It means universities as think tanks are not recognized at higher levels even though their inputs reach government levels through various institutions like HEC, PEC, etc?
DSS: Yes, it is true. I believe it will take time.
ER: If not at higher levels, Is your university approached for your input from any tiers of the government?
DSS: We are located in the center of Sindh province. We do not have any industrial zone here although it was there in the past; it did not develop to be a full-fledged industrial zone. Cities like Karachi have the advantage of having such a zone but still, there seems to be not much liaison between industry and academia despite the advantage of being in the largest city. But we are still making efforts for that liaison. We are pioneers of opening the Energy Department in Pakistan. We launched it in 2005 after I returned from acquiring my Ph.D. from England. But still, we are looking for the use of this department. We have recently launched AI and Food Technology Departments in the university.
ER: But before coming to these departments, I would like to know do the governments including local governments approach your university to help resolve the issues?
DSS: Yes, this process does exist to some extent. Lately, Pakistan State Oil (PSO) which had some queries, contacted us and we put it in the Ph.D. program in Biodiesel and came up with the results that were shared with the company. It was related to the Jatropha plant from which oil can be extracted and mixed with diesel. PSO has now adopted our results. Also, PAF wants to establish in Nawabshah a complex like the Aeronautical Complex. They want our collaboration and that our university would like to do it. This will be an opportunity for our university students and help create employment.
ER: How is your university adopting the change in the backdrop of the flood of emerging technologies?
DSS: We are also passing through the change. Although conventional technologies will remain for long, no one can avoid this change borne out by information technology. It is the need of time.
In this setting, when I took charge of the university which was facing a financial crunch, I looked into the resources available in the institution. I had a consultative process with the faculty and technical staff and sought their input and launched seven new departments without making any new recruitment and erecting new infrastructure. We successfully put in use our PhDs and foreign qualified faculty and staff.
ER: Is QUEST also on the list of universities that face financial issues and how have you addressed it?
DSS: It’s a countrywide issue. Our university is in the worst financial crisis and we have been unable to pay our salaries to the faculty and staff. But still, everyone is cooperating, I have not been able to pay them any remuneration for the last two years. In December we paid half the salaries to the employees and we are thankful to the Sindh government and the Chief Minister who offered us a bailout package. But the money that we need is far from being obtained. We are focusing on generating our own resources like opening new departments. This step enhanced our enrolment up to 1500 from 900 increasing our finances.
Also, we are saving money through energy conservation by installing express feeders at lower rates. Moreover, university residences have been installed with meters besides collecting bills from other installments including canteens.
ER: It helps but does not solve the issue that you get what the university requires in financial terms. What would you recommend to address this issue once and for all?
DSS: It is no rocket science; it’s simple arithmetic. One must know the actual and necessary expenditures {salaries, pensions, utility bills, etc} of the university. There must be a realistic assessment of the expenditures and capacity to increase the income of the university. The government should do real allocation for the smooth running of the universities with proper checks and balances.n

Universities as think tanks is a very good topic and ‘Engineering Review’ always comes out with such good topics that invite us to think about it. Before looking into it, we should understand what think tank is, and how they work, and eventually come up with some finding and put forth recommendations that influence policies. This exercise is comprehensive encompassing numerous institutes, people, departments, etc. It is a research-based endeavor having far-reaching implications.
In our universities, a lot of research is being carried out in specific areas but it is not becoming part of the policy and we are lagging behind in influencing it.
For instance, in the field of cyber security, we have many experts who should be gotten in touch with for the security of data and secrets that our governments would require to secure. There should be some think tank that should give its input to formulate cyber security policy for the country. Yes, we have a policy but not the way it should be; all aspects of security are not covered in it.
In our universities, there is huge information on technical areas whose information could make any policy comprehensive as well as practical.
In terms of the recognition of universities as think tanks that should be utilized is at a very initial level. At the policy level, governments and the industry get minimum inputs from the university. There are many policies in which the universities do not have any role thus the policies are very limited whereas the input of the think tank can make them comprehensive. At times, things come to the universities as offshoots but they don’t get in touch with while formulating the policy.
How could universities secure the recognition that we are looking for?
There are many countries whose policies are based on the outcome of the research carried out by their think tanks. Thus, they are comprehensive and leave long-term implications for covering all aspects that a nation should look around in its best interest. We must follow the suit in Pakistan. Our issues, right from economy to society require similar effort to grow. We have also think tanks but they a fewer in number; they must be expanded. The work of such tanks is also not so open so that they can be reviewed.
We have seen universities doing a lot that also influences policies. It means it is a two-way process. Are universities and their work influence our policies?
These groups work in multiple ways like the work initiated by the governments in which the recommendations eventually went to the government. In another model, many big groups exist in developed countries and they influence policies by default with the support of the people who are affected by the findings of those groups or think tanks.
However, the universities in our country do not possess that much influence. We do not have such independent groups that’s why you cannot find any groups giving guidelines for the changes in the policies. There are some in the field of defense and economics. But in universities, this is not the case. Yes, this happens at a smaller scale but one does not see anything big from universities that influence policy.
I think the universities should make such forums together with the participation of the people from the industry.
What challenges do you face when you attempt to take your university to a higher level?
The bigger challenge is to change the perception of the university as we think teaching in the class is not enough. It is a restrictive concept whereas the role of the university is much bigger. It involves research, policymaking, and learning the art of society. The management has to decide what they have to focus on and what they expect from the faculty and departments.
We have done a comprehensive exercise in the SSUET and have executed the plan for becoming part of institutions and professional bodies. We have created a debate for enhancing the standards and this process will be expanded.
Amidst a flood of emerging technologies, how do you manage newer technologies besides what the university is already doing?
It is very important, it has changed many things, especially the education sector more specifically after the Covid – 19. The role of universities has been changed too. Look at the teaching methodology, how we were used to teaching and how it has changed now. Every university is pursuing Learning Management Systems. Now, the people impart education even from outside the university. Then, there is yet another aspect relating to newer technologies like AI and gathering of data in this context which helps you to accelerate the process.
Then we must know that we have to achieve the goals, supposed to have by 2030. If we fail, we may face restrictions. For example, we have to achieve our target as regards climate change and AI and new technologies will help using the data. The universities have to build the capacity to use all these things.
Are we recognizing these challenges in our universities, governments, and the industry?
There are many sections of universities and industry that recognize how important is this challenge. Numerous universities are working hard in this direction. Because it is about survival, especially in the period we are talking about. Because the world is fast becoming one and we cannot rule out that our education may slip out of our hands if we did not succeed to achieve our milestones. We have to be truly serious and have to accelerate it. For this, all three stakeholders—academia, industry, and government—are obligated to achieve targets.n