Experts emphasised that Bangladesh must modernise its overall education system, expand technical and vocational education programmes, ensure adequate budgetary allocation, and provide the necessary training to meet the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
They also stressed the need to adapt to rapidly changing economic activities driven by evolving information and technology and to place greater emphasis on developing skilled human resources.
They were speaking at a roundtable titled Smart Human Capital Development in the Context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, aka 4IR, organised by the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry at its office in the capital on Monday.
In the keynote presentation, M Niaz Asadullah, visiting professor of Economics at Reading聽聽聽University of the United Kingdom, said that according to a study conducted by Aspire to Innovate and UNDP, due to the advancement of information technology by 2030, around 5.38 million jobs might be lost in RMG, food and agriculture, furniture, tourism, and hospitality sectors in Bangladesh.
He also said that about 52 per cent of the workforce has moderate and 4.61 per cent have a severe lack of specialised technical and vocational knowledge regarding their industry.
Moreover, 56 per cent have moderate and 4.6 per cent severe issues in adaptability in a changing work environment and practices.
About the same number of workers has insufficient proficiency in using technological tools and fails to keep pace with evolving skill demands.
In this regard, the keynote stressed the need to enhance workers鈥� technological skills through rigorous training in fresh skilling, upskilling, and reskilling.
Naiz Asadullah, also a senior fellow at IDEAS, Malaysia, and an adjunct professor at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, urged government agencies, including the National Skills Development Authority, technical education boards, manpower training agencies, and other institutions, to come forward.
In his welcome remarks, DCCI president Taskeen Ahmed said that the 4IR is not limited to technological transition; it has led the world toward a profound transformation in production systems, business operations, and labour markets.聽
He said that artificial intelligence is reshaping the country鈥檚 industrial and service sectors.
Citing the World Economic Forum, he said that nearly one-fourth of current jobs would be transformed over the next five years.
He stressed that in the post-LDC era, smart human resources would be a key instrument to remain competitive.
In her speech as chief guest, Nazneen Kawshar Chowdhury, executive chairman of the National Skills Development Authority, said that there is a lack of coordination among government agencies involved in conducting training programmes and limited awareness regarding the importance of skill development.聽
She also said that during its initial phase, NSDA primarily focused on establishing its legal, physical, and administrative structures.
鈥楬owever, the organisation is now focusing on training for human resource development and also taking initiatives to teach the Japanese language with government and academic support to send 100,000 skilled workers to Japan,鈥� he added.
She stressed the need of training programmes to upskill the women population and also suggested integrating skill development with the 4IR while enhancing public-private collaboration.
Mahtab Uddin Ahmed, president of The Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh, said that only 20 per cent of graduates secure jobs commensurate with their qualifications, while around 2 million remain unemployed.
He underscored the importance of promoting technical education and changing the societal mindset toward vocational training.
Professor Shams Rahman, vice chancellor of East West University, said that the current education system is not adequately aligned with industry demands and thus, coordinated efforts between the education and industrial sectors are crucial to produce skilled human resources.
Mohammed Saiful Hassan, joint secretary of the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority, urged the local and foreign entrepreneurs to invest individually or jointly in the country鈥檚 Hi-Tech Parks.
Raisul Kabir, chief executive officer of Brain Station 23, said that there is a common misconception that the rapid expansion of AI would threaten millions of jobs worldwide.
鈥業f utilised efficiently, AI could instead create employment opportunities by increasing the demand for faster and higher-quality work,鈥� he added, saying that providing training and upskilling the workforce are essential to prepare for future demands.
Professor Muhammad Masroor Ali of the Computer Science and Engineering department at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology said that a significant disparity in educational quality between urban and rural areas persists, which is one of the major obstacles to developing a skilled workforce in the country.
He urged the authorities concerned to ensure quality education at all levels.
Khan Muhammad Saqiful Alam, regional senior manager of Data and Analytics at British American Tobacco, emphasised the need to modernise the education curriculum and enhance corporate training and awareness to support skill development.聽
M Shabbir Ali, corporate head of Human Resources at the Transcom Group, proposed forming a separate national council to oversee training programmes, enhance coordination among government agencies, and raise awareness among entrepreneurs about the benefits of ICT and automation.
Academicians and business leaders also spoke at the event.
