In Pakistan, the youth population accounts for more than 50% of the total population. From amongst those with access to higher education after completing 12 years of education a large proportion is enrolled in the traditional 2 year BA degree that is outdated and has little to no market value. The prevailing high unemployment rate is strongly related to the lack of connection between the degrees being offered and the required human resource.

The Punjab Higher Education Commission, (PHEC) in collaboration with the Higher Education Department (HED), Govt. of the Punjab has launched a Community Colleges Pilot Program (CCPP) in Pakistan’s Punjab province on the model of community colleges of advanced countries geared towards creating well trained workers.

The pilot project is the first step towards providing 2-year associate degrees in practical and employable fields of studies to prepare students to enter the job market and produce a skilled work force. This model offers high quality education with technical expertise at a low cost to produce graduates that meet industry demands. It is geared towards bringing about much needed structural reform in the college sector to improve quality of education.

In the first phase, four colleges from four of the nine divisions of Punjab, have been selected.

Sr
Community College
Affiliating University
1
University of the Punjab
2
Govt. College for Women, Karkhana Bazar, Faisalabad
University of the Punjab
3
University of the Punjab
4
Bahauddin Zakariya University

Five more colleges from the remaining five divisions of Punjab are expected to be added in the 2017-2018 session.

The existing infrastructure, equipment and teaching staff of the selected colleges has been used to launch the CCPP in the following areas of studies and more are expected to be added.

  • Associate Degree in IT (Specialization in Networking/Web Technologies)
  • Associate Degree in Commerce (Specialization in Accounting & Finance)
  • Associate Degree Mass Communication (Specialization in Media Studies)
  • Associate Degree  in Fine Art (Specialization in Textile Design)

The degrees will be issued by the affiliating university of the chosen colleges and the degree holder will be a simple “Graduate” as this degree will be equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree. More areas are expected to be added as the program expands.