Empowering young talent

FRESH graduates in Pakistan face a persistent paradox. Companies claim to hire them to develop raw talent, yet they often disqualify candidates who fit this description. Employers expect graduates to have corporate exposure, leadership experience and industry knowledge, which fresh graduates have not had the chance to acquire. As a result, companies wonder why their Management Trainee Officer (MTO) batches underperform, while graduates feel that the system is impossible to navigate. This mismatch is closely connected to the education system. Pakistani colleges and universities often focus heavily on theory, leaving students unprepared for practical work. A few structured programs develop decision-making, teamwork or leadership skills and limited access to internships prevents students from gaining real-world experience. Without these skills, graduates are forced to rely on commercial setups that prioritize cost over development and may expose young professionals to harassment or unfair treatment. Many MTO programs follow a similar profit-over-purpose logic. Much like preschools in Pakistan, which were often established more to generate profit than to genuinely support working mothers, these trainee programs emphasize cost-saving rather than the development of young talent. Companies retain graduates in the program for a year, assign responsibilities and recognize potential only if the individual completes the trial successfully. The responsibility for proving worth falls entirely on the graduate, reflecting systemic priorities that place short-term savings above nurturing talent. A personal example illustrates this situation. My closest relative, once an MTO at a well-known retail brand, was required to resign after a short-term illness. Despite being one of the top officers in her batch, the company could not accommodate her brief recovery. This short-term thinking, common in the private sector, places immediate savings above loyalty, talent and long-term team buil