IEC, MUET Celebrates HEC Diploma Program and SSBC Winners Ceremony

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre (IEC), Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET), Jamshoro celebrated graduation ceremony of four-month ‘Bridging the Job Market Skill Gap for General Post Graduation Degree Holders, Small Business and Entrepreneurship’ program and 1st and 2nd winners of Student Startup Business Competition 2nd cohort (SSBC) announced here on Friday at the IEC, MUET, Jamshoro.

Prof. Dr. Mohammad Aslam Uqaili, Vice Chancellor MUET was chief guest in the ceremony. Whereas Prof. Dr. Tauha Hussain Ali, Pro-Vice Chancellor MUET, and Mr. Tahir Mehmood Chaudhry, President and CEO, Pakistan Institute of Entrepreneurship, and Turnaround Management Consultant & Chartered Member of Turnaround Management Association Pakistan was guest of honor to the ceremony and other Dean and faculty members attended the ceremony. The HEC program beneficiaries and SSBC 2nd Cohort winners were also part of the ceremony.

Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Umrani, Manager IEC welcomed the honorable guests and beneficiaries with the overview of HEC diploma program and SSBC background. He said that “We are thankful to HEC for funding this program and we feel proud to implement this program successfully for jobless postgraduates of the region.” He said that they have achieved the purpose of the program successfully.

Most of the beneficiaries are earning through job and own business. “We are proud to make them earning member of the society”, said Dr. Zulfiqar. However, he congratulated SSBC 2nd Cohort winners for their achievement of 1st and 2nd prize. He asked Unicycle team (1st Prize winning team) to work on their project very fast to bring energy transition in the university. And he also congratulated Elementary Education for Visually Impaired team (2nd Prize winning team) to also work and develop their product and commercialize it as soon as possible.  1st Prize in SSBC competition amounting Rs.300,000 and 2nd prize Rs.200,000.

Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Mohammad Uqaili said in his chief guest address that: “It is good to see that IEC has done what we thought a decade ago: jobless graduates or postgraduates making their own financial settlements”. He said that he was glad to see that IEC, MUET has contributed to the society by making a chunk able to earn and feed them or those who had been associated with them. He said that if such passion of the youth keeps continued then socioeconomic conditions will improve. He wished a success to HEC program beneficiaries and SSBC 2nd cohort winners. He asked them to work for their personal development with a will to do for a betterment of the society.

After chief guest address of the Vice Chancellor, two of the beneficiaries were invited to share their experience regarding the program. Mr. Mohammad Asif and MS. Ayesha. Mr.Asif said that he was very much thankful to IEC, MUET, and HEC for the job skills development program for the jobless youth. He said that after completing soft skills development classes, he successfully learned the art of CV making, resume development, and covering letter writing. And due to this development, he professionally applied in the advertisement for the vacant position of Teaching Assistant at the Department of Civil Engineering, MUET, Jamshoro and he successfully qualified the test & interview and got the job.

Ms. Ayesha shared that before enrolling in the program she was not able to write her professional CV or covering letter. Not only this, but her English language speaking and writing skills were also weak along with computer skills. But after attending the classes, she successfully learned how to write a professional CV or resume, convincing covering letter in English, and maximum beneficial use of MS office suite. She thanked IEC, MUET, HEC, resource persons, and Manager IEC for bringing such a good program for them.

Mr. Tahir Mehmood Chaudhry, guest of honor, thanked Manager IEC, Vice Chancellor, Pro-Vice Chancellor, and greeted all the participants. He said that he did not know that MUET had a huge treasure of the talent in her faculty, officers, and students.

The projects and youth talent he was seeing in the ceremony were of high caliber and full of social benefit covered with enthusiasm. He asked the vice chancellor and Manager IEC to work in collaboration with his organization to scale up their efforts for strengthening entrepreneurship culture in the university and Jamshoro.

He offered that he would ask head of Sohrab Bicycle Company to donate 200 bicycles to MUET, Jamshoro. “MUET has a potential mix of talents and skills, I would like to build networks between IEC, MUET, and industry”, he added.

The graduation ceremony was concluded with the distribution of certificates and cheque among the beneficiaries of HEC job skill development program and SSBC 2nd cohort winners.