Pak-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) President Shah Faisal Afridi on Tuesday has pledged to spur the pace of technological advancement in Pakistan through Chinese co-operation. While addressing a meeting of chamber he said, "The technological advancement for human resource development is the prime agenda of the Pak-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, for which he is trying to establish a Pak-China Technology University."
The purpose of this project would primarily be transfer of redundant technology from China that is no more in use of China but suits to the needs and requirement of Pakistani industrial trends, he added. "The Pak-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry has planned to establish a state-of-the-art Chinese construction material centre that will be executed in two phases: the first phase involves the formation of a display centre and the second involves the transfer of production facility from China to Pakistan," he mentioned.
He elaborated that the acquisition of appropriate technology from China in renewable energy and alternative sources of energy like solar, nanotechnology, wind power, run of the river power plants was also included on the priority agenda. "The business conglomerates of China have shown their keen interest in establishing power plants in Pakistan due to an impressive campaign lodged by the Pak-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry," he said.
He also urged the government to formulate policies to create linkages between industry and academia to create industry-driven batches of students and suggested to equip secondary school and university graduates with employable skills that required a shift from academically-oriented learning to demand-driven courses relevant to industry needs.
"This can be achieved through, for example, credible national qualification frameworks and certification systems and closer links amongst schools, universities, and technical and vocational education providers," he added.
The Government of Pakistan should take immediate steps to modify and empower existing vocational training institutes like TEVTA. Currently, TEVTA enrolls on average 110,000-120,000 students in its technical training institutes, while the demand in the market is over one million and Government of Pakistan needs to invest in skilled workers to bridge the imbalances that occur due to inadequacy in human resource development," he added.