The University of Engineering & Technology Lahore hosted a four-day student leadership development and programming training workshop for public sector universities this week. The training was organized by the USAID's Higher Education System Strengthening Activity (HESSA) and facilitated by international trainers including Gwendolyn Schaefer, Carrie Johnson, John Estephanous from the Institute of International Education USA, and Dr. Kevin D’Arco from Duke University. The event brought together directors, managers, and university officials working in the student affairs section on their respective campuses.

Participants received an in-depth and participatory training from international experts on topics including student programming and student leadership development focusing on student organization/society best practices, how to advise student organizations, and developing a plan for student leadership development. The training will be followed up by mentoring sessions with the HESSA partner universities, as well as online trainings, to further assist them to achieve their strategic goals.

HESSA is working with 16 Pakistani public sector universities to elevate student skills and global competencies, creating strong support networks that set students up for post-graduation success.

The Chief of Party HESSA, Dr. Kenneth Holland attended the closing ceremony at UET Lahore and reiterated the need for robust student support systems in all educational institutions. He said, “This training program will contribute to learning how to cultivate a student-focused approach to student organizations and societies at the universities.”

Vice Chancellor of UET Lahore, Dr. Habib-ur-Rehman appreciated HESSA's  support in capacity building of university officials and strengthening student support services in the higher education sector.