Srinagar: A ten-member delegation fromPHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry visited Islamic University of Science and Technology today on July 25, 2022. The event’s purpose was to strengthen the university’s relationship with the Chamber and explore opportunities for collaboration with the industry.The delegation that included Mushtaq Ahmad Chaya (President, PhD Chamber), Vicky Shaw (Co-Chair), Baldev Singh Raina (Chairman),and members from executive body of the Chamber visited different sections of the varsity and interacted with Vice-Chancellor and other university officials.
The other members who were part of the delegationwere Jan Muhammad Kaul (National Agencies), Javaid Amin (Arco Group), Tariq Ahmad Bhat, Bilal Kawoosa (Kashmir Carpet and Silk Cluster Development Organization), and Fayaz Ahmad Bhat.PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a century-old organization with strong national and international linkages that play a catalytic role inthe promotion of industry, trade, and entrepreneurship to promote economic growth and development of the country.
“Our engineers need to possess updated skillset. In developed nations, graduates are skilled enough to get good employment but comparatively graduates in developing nations lack advanced skills. In this regard, NEP 2020 is a revolutionary policy to introduce and enhance these skills in our graduates.”, said Prof. Shakil A Romshoo, Vice Chancellor, IUST.He further said, “Universities are breeding grounds for innovations and they need to be atthe forefront to develop solutions to contemporary global problems”.
Welcoming the delegation, Prof. Peerzada Amin (Controller Examination, IUST event coordinator) said that Industry and Academia are the two most important segments of society that need to be connected for the overall development of society.
Mushtaq Chaya expressed his willingness to enter into an MoU with the university. He also suggested that the university should introduce courses in Tourism and Hotel Management as these courses have great potential in Kashmir. Baldev Singh Raina believed that career counselling is very important for graduates and it has to be a part of the education system. “We need to encourage youth to take up individual businesses, rather than waiting to get employed”, he said.
During the interactive session, Javaid Amin announced that every year the best entrepreneur student from IUST will be awarded the Arco Cement Award of Excellence. He suggested the university should offer courses that are ‘Entrepreneurship and Innovation Oriented’ rather than ‘job-oriented’, as an employee works for himself only while an entrepreneur provides employment avenues for others also.
Bilal Kawoosa said that Industry-Academia collaboration is critical for empowering the youth with appropriate skills and advocated the introduction of skill-enhancement courses at universities.
Appreciating the effortsof IUST in general and Vice-Chancellor in particular, in developing strong linkages with the industry, Jan Muhammad Kaul said “Creating mass awareness about encouraging entrepreneur environment is equally important, and contribution of a university is very critical”.

KR Desk