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Pakistan has come a long way in the past decade in terms of higher education than any other era in its history. The growing population and a large, emerging block of youth made it imperative to bring educational reforms. New universities throughout the country have greatly helped in shouldering the responsibility of educating young minds and bring a relief in the highly competitive admission process.
TPS has had a long relationship with institutions imparting computer knowledge to the bright minds of the country. A provider of switching and payment processing services to banking and telecom institutions, TPS has grown from a small company in the 90s to a domestic market leader in 2000s and now a dominant organization in the region that is gaining grounds in other continents. A purely Pakistani company that is successful all because of Pakistan’s young minds that proved their mettle against heavyweights of the industry from North America and Europe.
The success of TPS lies in the thriving services of the banking and telecom sectors that are much different from a decade ago. TPS technology made possible the successful implementation of 1Link that has enabled a UBL customer to perform cash withdrawal from Bank Al-Habib’s ATM. Mobile banking product EasyPaisa was made possible through TPS technology and many services such as Inter-Bank Funds Transfer (IBFT), Remittance distribution and Utility Bills Payment are made through specialized TPS products.
The creation and implementation of these services in the last 10 years have enabled the banking industry of Pakistan to evolve at a rapid pace, and at a fraction of the cost, that has greatly benefitted common person. This was made possible by the employees of TPS that are hired from the institutions that are imparting modern knowledge to the younger generation. For any corporation its employees are the basic assets, for they define the company and its fate. These vary employees, with a vision for future, can change the way of life and TPS has done just that to the banking industry.
TPS hires its talent from local institutions, both private and government, that form the backbone of technology innovation, creation, testing and implementation. The young employees, in majority cases fresh graduates with computer education, are given real-time experience working with sophisticated banking technology that has redefined the way banks operate in Pakistan. The hiring is based on talent and not on the grades since large student body across institutions mean large number of high achievers. Grades sometimes overshadow the talent and practicality of a candidate; TPS makes sure to hire the person based on what he/she can do.
This helps in making work-teams that have balance and employees are able to cooperate with each other based on their strengths. Maximizing cooperation and strengths allow these teams to function more efficiently and effectively, forming an environment that is supportive to every team’s function. The supportive environment is what defines TPS and all has been made possible with Pakistani talent. Indigenous technologies for mobile banking, internet banking, funds transfer and bills payment would not have been possible without the trust each team has on the other to get the job done in the best possible way.
The institutes that have produced these young and creative minds have provided great platforms for their training and development. To mention some of these initiatives, NUCES’s event PROCOM.net has provided a competitive environment for students across Pakistan to test their skills and prove their talent. Tech Elite of NED University and Pro Brains of Karachi University have played their part in enriching the students and make them a valuable resource for the industry. TPS has been associated with these institutes and have contributed to their efforts, often in the form of sponsorship and stalls. Particularly in the past 5 years TPS has been actively involved in supporting such events, not just financially but also career guidance and on-spot interviews.
Job fairs and Final Year Project Exhibitions are the other two major platforms that have bridged the corporate world and the academia. Years of studies lead to this point where students show their skills and talent, attempting to resolve problems faced by the society and bringing in revolutionary ideas for existing processes. TPS has registered presence in several job fairs and project exhibitions of known institutions such as NUCES, NED, KU, Sir Syed, IBA and PAF-KIET. The experience has given an in-depth understanding to the needs of students and in exchange TPS has made them aware of the needs of the market and society. Through these events the institutions have built a lasting relationship with the corporate world and TPS is proud to support universities in development of local talent.
But graduation from university is not enough. The challenges of the real world are very demanding and the stress can break even the strongest of wills, if left unsupported. TPS has made sure to not leave its employees at the mercy of market pressures and enough time and resources are spent in employee development. Soft as well as technical skills are imparted to enable the employees to be effective at their work. They are eased-in to their jobs so that they can easily handle work pressure and be constructive in their function. The teams are developed to not just cooperate and share load but also work on ideas at improving the processes, and fresh minds bring fresh ideas that are highly regarded.
What the institutes are currently doing is preparing students to face the real world in effective way and these students are further polished at the company when they are hired. The real-world problems that the market is facing are resolved through the products and services provided by the companies and the cycle goes on.
What more the institutes can do is not just prepare students to resolve current market problems but also encourage innovation and unrealistic ideas. Ideas that were considered unrealistic at one time ended up changing the way we live our life. The idea of computers and their availability, conceived by two entrepreneurs with very different plans (Steve Jobs and Bill Gates), have transformed the way we live. The digitization of our lives has evolved the society to a whole new level. Encouraging research is another initiative that is badly needed for Pakistan as the lack of research culture is hampering in effectively creating modern methods and technologies. Adoption of west’s expensive technology after a few years of its introduction is only going to negatively affect the nation culturally as well as raise import bills.
To progress and rely on our own resources for success, the institutes would have to step-up to the challenge. Improving curriculum and adopting modern teaching methods would be the first step, the next one to be part of top 100 universities in the world. Once we set out minds for success, nothing is impossible.
