Senior employees of HEC: Leadership, strategy, project management certification programme inaugurated

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Syed Shibli Faraz inaugurated, on Thursday, a specialised training programme entitled, "Leadership, Strategy and Project Management Certification Programme" for senior employees (BPS/PPS 19-21) of the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

The National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE) is conducting the certification programme in collaboration with Price waterhouse Coopers (PwC), A. F. Ferguson & Co, and Oxon Global Management Consultants.

Executive Director HEC Dr Shaista Sohail, Rector NAHE Dr Shaheen Sardar Ali, CEO Oxon Global Gerard Newman, and a large number of HEC employees attended the ceremony.

The minister said that "learning is a lifelong process and the journey of acquiring knowledge ends only with the end of one's life."

Addressing the HEC employees, he said, "Investing in you is an investment in HEC that supports hundreds of thousands of Pakistani students who are the future of Pakistan."

He expressed the hope that training will not only benefit the HEC officials, but it will also reflect in the overall HEC operations for the higher education sector.

Dr Shaista Sohail said that efforts to improve capability and capacity were an important tool to make an organisation successful.

She said that organisations used training projects as a mechanism for a positive change and upgradation.

She informed the minister that the HEC has chalked out a plan to organise such programmes time and again to ensure good management.

She underlined the significant role of the NAHE in capacity building of the HEC employees, faculty, and university administrative staff.

She also shed light on the portfolio and services of PwC, AF Ferguson & Co and Oxon Global.

Dr Shaheen Sardar Ali said that the HEC was a national oversight body of the higher education sector and its employees were the front face of the sector.

She said that the NAHE was honoured that the HEC reposed its confidence in it for training and professional development of its employees.

She informed the audience that the NAHE, in response to the priorities identified in the Training Needs Assessment (TNA) survey administered in October 2021, conducted two specialist trainings and this is the third one on leadership, strategy and project management.

She said that the first training was on e-office attended by over 400 HEC colleagues, while the second training on Procurement and Financial Management for BPS 17-18 attended by 62 officials.

She said that specialised training for senior HEC employees will cover three areas, including leadership, project management, and strategy.

Later talking to media, the federal minister said that the heinous case of Noor Mukaddam murder should be tried in the anti-terrorism court.

It is a test case, and the government is of the view that the perpetrators should be severely punished for her brutal murder.

To a question about the results of Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections, the minister said that results from Punjab has proved that the PTI is a nationwide party not a regional party like the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

He said Punjab once was considered to be the stronghold of the PML-N but now the people of Punjab have expressed their full confidence over the leadership of Imran Khan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021