Several foreign information technology (IT) related organisations, particularly from United States, which are eager to invest in Pakistan, are holding back due to shortage of qualified manpower.
A National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) official, referring to a survey conducted in Islamabad, told Business Recorder that 82 percent of the IT graduates possess the required skill and are aware of what is expected of them in the job market.
But, on the other hand, only 34 percent of non-IT graduates and non-graduates have some IT exposure and understanding of what their potential employers would expect from them.
This, the official said, was not very encouraging for the IT related organisations. As far as non-IT qualified staff is concerned, they obviously are not required to do research, development, providing technical assistance, but at least they must know how to carry out their everyday task using IT resources. "But, unfortunately, that is not the case here," he added.
He urged the IT organisations to step up and prepare a strategy for provision of training to both IT and non-IT graduates, and undergraduates enabling them to fill the vacancies in this rapidly growing field.
Nadra, as a pure welfare measure, has launched a countrywide computer literacy drive by starting short but compact computer training courses, which would make them a proficient data entry operator within a short span of four weeks.
The contents of the curriculum of the course have been so designed that it will not only meet the demand of the local industry, NGOs and other government departments but also the foreign NGOs would be too eager to hire these qualified boys and girls trained by the most qualified staff of Nadra using modern techniques and tools in use world-wide for training.
The course would not only teach the students to undertake the multifaceted data entry operations but would also focus on a better code of conduct, which would help them in getting prepared for diversified nature jobs available in the country as well as abroad.
These courses would be conducted in phases, with Rawalpindi/Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi in the first phase and Peshawar, Sargodha, Multan, Sukkur and Quetta in the second phase.
The network of this computer training outfit will be further expanded to other towns in the near future. Nadra has planned to establish around 80 such training centres all over the country.
Preparation of a database of the citizens of Pakistan, introduction of machine-readable passport, automation of border control on basis of bio-metric facial and fingerprints and creating public convenience by introducing utility bill machines, preparation of database of more than 1.2 million people of earthquake-affected areas in a record time of five months speak of the quality of data entry operators (DEOs) Nadra has trained and subsequently employed.
The official said that Pakistan's information technology market is rapidly growing and going to emerge as an internationally recognised leading IT destination. Starting from a relatively low base in 2003, Pakistan's IT industry has developed into a $2 billion market and is still growing. Unlike India, which had the IT manpower and specific marketing strategies by 1950 and had funding management techniques by 1980, Pakistan's skilled IT manpower achieved a good position by 2000. "But, can Pakistan sustain this growth?" he asked.
Due to proper management of the industry in 2003, Pakistan had been one of the leading destinations for some leading businesses. Some of the multinational giants, like NCR, IBM and Chinese ZTE, have grown over 400 percent, in terms of human resource and office space.
The biggest IT organisation in Pakistan is Nadra, with more than 9,000 qualified persons of all shades of expertise in information technology.
The expansion of IT related field has always been the focus of attention of the Government, giving rise to more demands and creating more vacancies in IT related organisations.
But, still, various IT based organisations in the country keep on hunting for talented young boys/girls qualified in IT related field who are either in short supply or, due to financial constraints, cannot afford to acquire skills which would provide them a reasonable job in the market.