Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) is working with Higher Education Commission (HEC) to increase the influx of quality graduates into the industry.
This initiative also aims to facilitate matching of graduates with IT companies, provide on-going trainings and certifications to professionals, and undertake research to benchmark IT professionals and graduates in the country, said a senior official at PSEB Sunday.
Presenting a picture of the IT industry, he said almost 700 IT professionals have so far participated in trainings supported by PSEB and around 3,000 interns have been placed in different companies.
Similarly, 22 participants from eighteen companies appeared in the first ever Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) examination in Pakistan held in Karachi and Islamabad. Around 17 participants have qualified and become CISSP.
The Board, he said, has also finalised 200 nominees from 55 member companies for an English language-training programme that will begin soon. This four month training programme will be conducted by Berlitz in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
He further informed PSEB had finalised the nomination of 16 IT professionals from 10 member companies for Rational Rose training. Giving further details, he said the Board has received 12 applications for its apprenticeship programme and added additional companies are invited to submit proposals for this widely hailed programme, designed to address human capital needs in the short term.
Similarly, PSEB's Soft Skills Training Programme has been conceptually approved to train 500 graduates in smaller cities and rural areas in communication and presentation skills, people interaction, professional work ethic and other similar subjects.
The official said to provide immediate access to Video Conferencing facility to IT companies, particularly those with offices in Software Technology Parks, PSEB has negotiated with PTCL to make this facility available within two hours rather than the current one-week. Under PSEB-supported programmes, Pakistan now has over 110 ISO-certified IT companies, over 50 ISO IT lead auditors, and would have over 20 CMMi rated companies by the end of the current year, making it a world leader in this category.
Currently, there is one CMMi L5 company, one CMM L5 company, three CMMi L3 companies, two CMMi L2 company, one ISO 27001 certified company, two SEI Transition Partner companies and two SCAMPI appraisers.
The official said PSEB website has a million hits in a month and added PSEB also plans to launch a Venture Capital (VC) Fund that will be part of an eco-system for financing.