Today (Saturday), a special event titled ‘Industry Placement, Recruitment and Talent Development’ was jointly organized by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Asian University for Women (AUW) jointly organized ‘HSBC-AUW School of Apparel’. The event was organized with the aim of creating skilled human resources in the ready-made garment industry, developing women’s leadership and strengthening cooperation between industry and academia, a press release said.
Hon’ble Minister of Commerce of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, was present as the chief guest at the event. The event was chaired by BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan and was attended by AUW Vice Chancellor and former BGMEA President Dr. Rubana Haque as guests.
The event was also attended by Youngwon Corporation Chairman Kihak Sang, Asian University for Women Founder Kamal Ahmed, BGMEA Former President Qutubuddin Ahmed and representatives of HSBC Bangladesh.
The BGMEA leaders included 1st Vice President Selim Rahman, Senior Vice President Enamul Haque Khan, Vice President Md. Rejoan Selim, Vice President (Finance) Mizanur Rahman, Vice President Md. Shihab Uddoza Chowdhury, Directors and Chairmen of various Standing Committees.
In addition, top leaders of the country’s ready-made garment sector, members of BGMEA, prominent garment entrepreneurs, representatives of international brands and teachers and students of Asian University for Women participated in the event.
It is worth mentioning that the ‘HSBC-AUW School of Apparel’ has been established at Asian University for Women with the aim of creating a stream of highly skilled women professionals for the ready-made garment industry of Bangladesh. The event witnessed fruitful discussions on internship opportunities for students, graduate recruitment and the future development of the country’s ready-made garment sector.
The discussion emphasized the need for industry-academia collaboration, especially for the sustainable growth of the ready-made garment sector and for universities and the garment industry to work together to enhance its competitiveness in the international market.
Honorable Minister of Commerce Khandaker Abdul Muktadir welcomed the joint initiative of BGMEA) and Asian University for Women to create skilled human resources in the garment industry and develop women’s leadership.
He said that the current government is implementing rapid reforms in business start-up, licensing, port management and energy sectors to increase investment, expand industrialization, create employment and strengthen export capacity in the country. About 85 percent of the country’s total export earnings come from the ready-made garment sector and no other sector will be able to reach its level in the short term. In order to make Bangladesh an attractive global investment destination, the government has taken initiatives to significantly reduce the time for starting a business and obtaining licenses, including initial approval within just 14 days of company registration. In addition, following the successful models of Singapore and Malaysia, all services are being provided online through a one-stop service, an integrated inspection system is being introduced and port management is being modernized. At the same time, there are plans to establish another floating LNG terminal to ensure uninterrupted fuel supply to the industry.
AUW Vice Chancellor Dr. Rubana Haque delivered her important speech on women’s participation and leadership development in the garment industry. He called on BGMEA member factories to sponsor AUW’s ‘Master of Science in Apparel and Retail Management’ program for higher education of women workers in the garment sector. He said that this partnership will demonstrate the industry’s commitment to developing the next generation of leaders in the garment sector.
It is hoped that this joint initiative will create a strong pipeline of skilled professional women executives in key areas such as supply chain management, sustainability and industrial engineering for the garment sector.
In his address, BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan said that this initiative is part of BGMEA’s long-term commitment to enhance the global capabilities of the Bangladesh ready-made garment industry and develop skilled human resources. We positively evaluate this visionary proposal and sponsorship model of AUW. BGMEA will encourage its member factories to participate in this specific sponsorship initiative to develop the next generation of leaders in the garment industry.
The event was also addressed by Kihak Sang, Chairman of Youngwon Corporation, Kamal Ahmed, Founder of Asian University for Women, Qutubuddin Ahmed, Former President of BGMEA, and Syeda Afzalun Nesa, Head of Sustainability, HSBC Bank.
