A progress review workshop on the Enterprise-Based Training (EBT) program conducted by Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS) under the ASSET (Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation) project was held at the conference room of the Directorate of Technical Education on Friday (10 July), a press release said.

Md. Daud Mia, ndc, Secretary, Technical and Madrasa Education Division, Ministry of Education, was present as the chief guest at the event. Engineer Abul Khair Md. Akkas Ali, Director General of the Directorate of Technical Education, Additional Secretary (Development) of the Technical and Madrasa Education Division, Shamsur Rahman Khan, and Engineer Mir Zahid Hasan, Project Director of the Asset Project, were present as special guests. The program was presided over by Mohammad Monirul Islam, Secretary General of Bangladesh Computer Samity.

Engineer Rabindranath Mahat, Deputy Project Director of the Asset Project, delivered the welcome speech at the workshop. Abul Hasan, Treasurer of Bangladesh Computer Samity, presented the implementation progress, achievements, challenges and future work plans of EBT activities through a presentation.

Representatives of Bangladesh Computer Samity, Department of Technical Education, Asset Project, Industrial Skills Training Provider (ISTP), Skills Training Provider (STP) and related industrial institutions participated in the workshop.

It was informed in the workshop that Enterprise-Based Training (EBT) is an employment-oriented training method of Asset Project. In this method, trainees are provided with hands-on training opportunities in the real working environment of industrial institutions, not limited to classroom-based teaching. As a result, they gain direct experience about modern equipment, workflow, workplace discipline, customer service and real market needs, which increases the ability of post-training employment and self-employment.

The speakers said that training should be made more practical, industry-linked and result-oriented to prepare the country’s young population for the current and future job market. The real success criteria of the program will be the acquisition of skills by the trainees, success in evaluation and post-training employment.

According to the information presented in the workshop, 62 institutions are currently implementing training programs under Bangladesh Computer Samity. Out of a total of 283 approved training batches, 107 are ADTP and 176 are TSTP batches. Out of the 283 batches approved in the fourth phase, 273 are active and 10 are inactive or canceled.

So far, 6,552 trainees have been admitted in the fourth phase. Out of them, 4,792 are male, 1,760 are female, 23 are disabled and 20 are from ethnic minorities. The total target number of trainees under Bangladesh Computer Samity is 6,792.

Training is being conducted under Bangladesh Computer Samity in various demanding subjects related to information and communication technology and digital economy. These include IT Support and Services, Digital Marketing for Freelancing, Graphic Design for Freelancing, Web Design, Web Application Development with Python, Data Science, Analytics and Big Data, AI in Immersive Technology, Japanese Language, Professional Customer Service, Professional Back Office Service and Retail Sales Operations.

Speaking as the chief guest, Secretary Md. Daud Mia, ndc said that technical and vocational education is a powerful means of employment creation. He laid special emphasis on the quality of training, accountability, regular attendance, acquisition of practical skills and employment outcomes.

He said that training programs should be made more result-oriented and industry-friendly so that trainees can enter the job market with confidence after the training.

The special guests emphasized on improving the quality of training, accuracy of data, financial discipline, timely progress reporting, evaluation preparation and strengthening effective linkages with employment. They called for regular updates on information related to trainees, attendance, evaluation and employment progress.

The speakers also said that if effective linkages of trainees are established with the member institutions of Bangladesh Computer Samity, opportunities for apprenticeship, initial level jobs, practical work experience, freelancing and self-employment will be further expanded.

The ISTP and STP representatives participating in the workshop were provided with necessary guidelines for selecting trainees, regularity of training, preparation of equipment and training materials, updating information, evaluation preparation and strengthening employment linkages.

The organizers said that the Asset Project, the Directorate of Technical Education and Bangladesh Computer Samity will jointly work to make this training program more quality, result-based and future job market-oriented. The speakers expressed hope that this initiative will be established as an effective and sustainable model for developing skilled human resources in the information and communication technology sector.