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ISLAMABAD, Sep 25 (APP):The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has announced a landmark initiative to enhance the employability of Pakistani graduates by making professional internships and industry-relevant certifications a mandatory part of all undergraduate degree programmes.
This policy, which builds on the Undergraduate Education Policy 2023, is designed to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and the practical skills required by today’s job market.
The directive, issued to all public & private universities and degree-awarding institutions, emphasized the critical importance of equipping students with hands-on experience and globally recognized competencies.
All undergraduate programmes would now require a minimum of three credit hours of supervised internship.
Universities had been encouraged to forge formal partnerships with corporate entities, SMEs, and public sector organizations to secure meaningful placements that were directly relevant to students’ fields of study.
The advisory also promoted leveraging online internship platforms and remote working opportunities to adapt to evolving market trends.
In addition to internships, the new policy advised universities to integrate mandatory, industry-relevant certifications into their curricula.
These certifications, which could be earned through recognized national and international bodies, were intended to provide students with job-ready skills, including computing and IT, health care, construction, high-tech and digital economies & financial institutions, among others.
The institutions have been informed that a list of high-demand skills, as communicated by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, was made publicly available on the HEC website.
This move incentivizes students to pursue additional professional development and allows their certifications to count towards their academic progression.
HEC’s initiative underscored a national commitment to foster a skilled workforce capable of competing on both national and international stages.
By formalizing the link between education and industry, HEC aimed to ensure that every Pakistani graduate was well-prepared to meet the demands of a dynamic global economy.