HEC extends deadline for registration till January 03, 2024

ISLAMABAD, Dec 29 (APP):The Higher Education Commission (HEC), has extended the deadline, till January 03, 2024, for registration in the Centralised Test being held for Computer Science and IT graduates – leading to apprenticeship in top IT companies of Pakistan. The test date shall however remain intact i.e. January 07, 2024, said a press release on Friday.

The students enrolled in the 7th semester of Computer Science/IT related disciplines offered in recognised public and private sector universities and affiliated / constituent colleges are encouraged to register through Virtual University (VU) link https://www.vu.edu.pk/GraduateTest/. The decision to extend the registration deadline was made in a virtual meeting of Vice Chancellors/Rectors and Heads of Departments of Computer Science/IT of all public and private sector HEIs in order to ensure that maximum number of eligible students register themselves for the subject test and avail this opportunity.

Chairman HEC advised the universities, especially the IT and Computer Science Departments, to ensure that 7th semester students register themselves and participate in the test. He emphasized the HEIs to expedite nominating their focal persons for smooth communication regarding all aspects of the test being conducted. He stated that the primary objective of this initiative is to ensure that IT graduates are equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge, and attributes to excel in the ever-changing IT industry. He added that the test will allow us to identify the academic / training gaps in fresh IT graduates, which may be addressed through specialized modules / apprenticeships or bootcamps to be aligned with industry requirements.

HEC, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders including Ministry of IT and Telecommunications, National Computing Education Accreditation Council (NCEAC), Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), and Pakistan IT Industry Association (P@SHA), aim at bridging IT industry-academia gap and introduce ways to improve the market readiness of IT students. Students qualifying the test will be offered placement in IT companies including top IT exporters in Pakistan through P@SHA to acquire hands-on experience on real-time projects. The qualifying candidates will also be considered for credit hours exemption in 8th semester against electives or mandatory field experience. Spring 2024 will be the first session for the industry placement programme. Upon successful completion of the co-opt programme, the credentials of the candidates with recommendations shall be placed on PSEB and P@SHA portals for access of large pool of IT companies leading to job offers.