Bridging the industry & academia gap

Islamabad: The Millennium University College (TMUC), H-11/4, Islamabad, organised a Transnational Industry Academia Partnership Symposium in an effort to bridge the gap between industry and the academia at TMUC Auditorium, says a press release.

The theme for the symposium focused on The Generation Next: Paving the road for the future. ACCA Pakistan was the knowledge partner for the event. The keynote speech was delivered by Riaz Pesnani, Partner KPMG. Riaz Pesnani discussed the necessary skills required for the professional accountants of the future so that they may be the ‘drivers of change’ in their role as Millennials.

Also present on the occasion as panelists and guest speakers were Rahat Kaunain, Senior Partner, Hassan Kaunain Nafees, Mustafa Hyder Sayed, ED Pakistan China Institute and Affan Ajaz, Head of Talent Acquisition and Employability, VEON.

The panel discussion was moderated by renowned consultant, Aamir Ghauri, Editor, ‘The News’ Islamabad. All the speakers stressed upon the fact that the academia and industry share a symbiotic relationship. Academia produces graduates who are absorbed by industry. Such workshops or specialist meetings organised by academics can be an excellent source of new ideas as they bring together experts to discuss the state of-the-art and potential research agendas. The audience was mainly represented by working professionals, industry and academia leadership, students of professional accountancy qualifications and business and accountancy fraternity.

Founder/Chief Executive Roots Millennium Schools and The Millennium University College Faisal Mushtaq said, “With innovation at an all-time high, and drivers such as digitization and globalization influencing the future, the opportunities for generation next are significant. Professional accountants throughout the world are uniquely placed to help organisations create sustainable growth and prosperity in the global economy. Yet adding to this equation are the ambitions of today’s young workforce, the stakes for the attraction, engagement, development, and retention of the youngest generation in the profession today are high.”

He therefore urged the students and academia present to make the most out of such learning and networking opportunities as it is important that skill development starts early on for a successful career for Millennials.