Bridge gap between degrees, skills for job market

Education Minister Dr. Dipu Moni has stressed the need for bridging the gap between the students’ earned educational degrees as well as their own skills in order to meet the desire of their potential employers.

She came up with such an observation while inaugurating the CA students and members’ placement automation of ICAB at a virtual ceremony organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh on August 30.

“While a university student has graduated with a degree, he or she is not getting any job. On the other hand, the employers also complain that they are not getting suitable candidates. As there is a distance or gap between the obtained educational degrees and the skills, it needs to be addressed to overcome such a situation accordingly,” said Dipu Moni.

“Industry linkage is needed and ICAB, as an industry, should come up with steps to cater skilled manpower for the industries,” she said.   

Nothing is more vital than building human resources, she said, adding that youths are receiving technical education and vocational training. In our country the number of enrollment in technical education has increased from one per cent in 2009 to 17 per cent in 2020, she informed.

“It is encouraging to see that students are opting for technical education as well, ‘’ she said.

The minister also said the government is creating a scope for job availability, updating the curriculum for quality education, and improving the trainers.

She also added that they are also working on establishing skilled counsel and preparing national technical and vocational qualification frameworks.

Becoming skilled is not enough for the students, besides the curriculum must include some basic human qualities including empathy, controlling emotion and conflict situations, coping with unfavorable situations, and increasing skills of communication, the minister said.

“We are also working to establish skilled counsel and prepare national technical and vocational qualification frameworks,” he furthered.

“Becoming skilled is not enough for the students, besides the curriculum must include some basic human qualities including empathy, controlling emotion and conflict situations, coping with the unfavorable situation and increasing skills of communication, ” she furthered.

Mentioning the fourth industrial revolution, the minister said, “We are living in the digital age of the 4th Industrial Revolution.

We must take advantage of the 4th Industrial Revolution as it changes remarkably both in the domestic and international job markets.”

ICAB vice president Maria Howlader FCA presented the paper on ‘CA students and members placement automation’.

Describing the objectives of CA placement, Maria Howlader said, “It will bridge among employers, headhunters, ICAB members, part qualified CA students and the students aspiring for CA qualifications and also connect employers from both Bangladesh and overseas through creating a digital job bank.”

“There is a big gap between the demand and supply and to narrow down the gap, our education system needs to reshape with the demand of time that will produce human resources having skilled trainings, practical learning and learnings on their major areas,” ICAB President Mahmudul Hasan Khusru FCA said.

ICAB past president Kamrul Abedin FCA moderated the program while CEO Shubhashish Bose gave introductory speech and vice president Md. Abdul Kader Joaddar FCA delivered the concluding remarks.