The Faculty of Commerce at the University of the Punjab (PU) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sustainadility LLC to launch a pilot program offering fully managed remote internships to students.
The initiative is designed to help students gain practical industry experience while meeting internship requirements introduced by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for undergraduate degree programs.
The MoU was signed by Prof. Dr. Hafiz Zafar Ahmad, Dean of the Faculty of Commerce at the University of the Punjab, and Sajjeed Aslam, Partner at Sustainadility LLC.
Remote internships to expand student opportunities
The pilot aims to make supervised industry exposure more accessible to students, particularly those studying outside Pakistan’s largest metropolitan centres.
Under the model, students will be able to complete structured internships remotely or through hybrid arrangements, allowing them to gain professional experience without being limited by their geographical location.
The initiative is particularly relevant for students at campuses in Gujranwala and Jhelum, where access to a large pool of local internship opportunities can be more limited than in cities such as Lahore and Karachi.
By using remote placements, the program seeks to reduce geographical barriers while maintaining academic supervision and assessment through the university.
HEC internship requirements
The collaboration comes after changes introduced by HEC to undergraduate education requirements in Pakistan.
Under the HEC Undergraduate Education Policy 2023, undergraduate degree programs were required to include a minimum of three credit hours of supervised internship experience, with institutions given flexibility to offer placements through on-site or remote formats.
In September 2025, HEC further reinforced the internship requirement and introduced industry-relevant certifications as a mandatory component of undergraduate degrees in priority sectors.
The changes have increased the importance of ensuring that students graduate with both academic qualifications and practical exposure to professional environments.
University retains academic oversight
Prof. Dr. Hafiz Zafar Ahmad said the university’s responsibility was to ensure that the internship requirement was fulfilled through meaningful experience rather than becoming a paperwork exercise.
He said the pilot would allow supervised industry exposure to be extended to students across the participating campuses while the Faculty of Commerce retains authority over supervision, assessment and academic credit.
This structure is intended to maintain the academic integrity of the internship program while giving students access to practical business and professional assignments.
Sustainadility to connect students with employers
Under the pilot, Sustainadility will work with employers across Pakistan and the Middle East to convert live business requirements into structured internship roles.
The company will also provide competency maps to help define the skills and learning outcomes associated with different internship placements.
Its ARC digital platform will support students, supervisors and administrators throughout the internship process.
Placements will operate throughout the year and will generally run for eight to 16 weeks.
Students will be able to complete internships remotely or through hybrid arrangements, depending on the placement and requirements of the participating employer.
Multiple Punjab University campuses included
The pilot will cover students associated with several institutions and departments within the University of the Punjab.
Participating units include Hailey College of Commerce, Hailey College of Banking & Finance, as well as the Departments of Commerce at the university’s Gujranwala and Jhelum campuses.
The wider coverage is intended to provide students from different locations with access to structured professional opportunities.
The model could also help universities manage internship placements more systematically by combining employer requirements, student competencies and academic supervision through a centralized digital platform.
Program linked with wider skills development
The initiative was developed with the involvement of Dr. Shahid Mahmud, Honorary Senior Advisor at COMSTECH and Chairman and CEO of Interactive Group of Companies, among other advisory roles.
According to the information provided, Dr. Mahmud has emphasized the importance of credible talent development in strengthening Pakistan’s ability to attract domestic and foreign investment.
The program also connects student development with broader changes in Pakistan’s regulatory and business environment, including HEC internship requirements, ESG-related disclosure requirements introduced by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), and green financing and taxonomy directives from the State Bank of Pakistan.
Focus on practical industry experience
The remote internship pilot comes at a time when universities are increasingly expected to help students develop practical skills alongside academic knowledge.
For commerce and business students, exposure to real workplace requirements can provide an opportunity to understand how theoretical concepts are applied in professional settings.
The University of the Punjab-Sustainadility partnership aims to create a structured pathway through which students can access such opportunities while universities maintain responsibility for academic standards.
If successful, the pilot could provide a model for expanding supervised internships to students who face geographical or logistical barriers to traditional placements.
The initiative ultimately seeks to connect higher education with industry needs while ensuring students receive documented, supervised and relevant professional experience as part of their undergraduate education.
Also read: Punjab to Establish Nursing Universities in Three Cities
