Integrating tech instts crucial for future growth

Labour and Employment Adviser Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain on Wednesday stressed the need to bring all technical and upskilling institutes under an umbrella to enhance workforce monitoring and development.

“Every district has a technical school. The NSDA has trained around 1.5 lakh individuals, but 50,000 have dropped out. We’re sending workers abroad with minimal education or technical skills. It’s time to align youth training with labour market demands,” the adviser said at a programme on Wednesday.

 The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) organised the programme on youth-focused reform in employment, health, and technology at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in Dhaka.

 The adviser urged government offices to intensify research efforts to drive the country's economic growth.

“Government officers stick to the 9am-to-5pm routine, but they need to collaborate with universities and focus on research to better understand the market,” he added.

 Alif Rudaba, a member of the National Skills Development Authority (NSDA), said the government has introduced a certification programme for young entrepreneurs to help them access financing.

 “When a young entrepreneur completes NSDA training and gets certified, they can easily obtain a collateral-free loan from Karmasangsthan Bank,” she said.

 LFMEAB President Syed Nasim Manzur, BNP International Affairs Co-Secretary Rumeen Farhana, NCP Senior Joint Member Secretary Dr Tasnim Jara, and former BASIS President Fahim Mashroor participated in different sessions, while CPD Executive Director Dr Fahmida Khatun moderated the event.