P@SHA joins hands with British Council & EU’s TVET in G-B

KARACHI: Pakistan’s IT industry is strengthening its collaboration with academia and the government to improve graduate employability and bridge the skills gap, as the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), in partnership with the British Council, organized a session in Gilgit to promote stronger industry-academia linkages under Team Europe’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Sector Support Programme.

P@SHA is also collaborating with the local IT sector association; i.e. Gilgit-Baltistan Software Houses Association (GBSHA), in policy advocacy, skills development, export facilitation, and employment generation.

Addressing the session, Muhammad Zohaib Khan, Chair Special Initiatives of the P@SHA underscored the transformative potential of the region while highlighting critical infrastructural challenges. He emphasized that G-B possesses immense, untapped digital talent that can contribute substantially to national IT exports and local job creation.

However, he stressed that unlocking this economic potential requires reliable, uninterrupted high-speed internet connectivity, warning that inadequate digital infrastructure could deprive regional youth of global market opportunities. He also emphasised the need for stronger government-academia-industry collaboration to align university and TVET curricula with the evolving demands of the IT export sector.

The event featured panel discussions with key stakeholders, including Muhammad Zohaib Khan, KIU Acting Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Abdul Razaq, G-B Secretary IT Zameer Abbas, and former P@SHA CEC member Nadia Iqbal, highlighting P@SHA’s commitment to regional IT development and grassroots infrastructure.

Echoing this vision, Dr Shoab Ahmed Khan, Chairman P@SHA, highlighted that national IT export targets cannot be met in isolation within major metropolitan hubs alone.

He stated that integrating underserved regions like G-B into the national IT mainstream is a strategic priority for P@SHA, and that through collaborative interventions supported by international partners such as the European Union and the British Council, the association is working to ensure regional graduates possess accredited, in-demand technical competencies that translate directly into high-value employment.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026