Mushfiqa Zarin Siddiqa, a final year BBA student at a private university in Chattogram who is majoring in human resource management, had a very limited idea about her career prospects.

Finding a job at a government or private organisation was not even a consideration. At her most ambitious, she thought of pursuing a job in a local or foreign factory inside an export processing zone after completing her BBA.

This is because Zarin, like many others, did not have a clear idea about the vast areas covered by the logistics and supply chain sector of Bangladesh, a country that is on track to graduate from least developed country (LDC) status by 2026 and eyeing to export goods worth $100 billion by 2030.

However, a daylong logistics job fair, the first of its kind in Bangladesh, opened the eyes of many young students by giving them a proper picture that depicts a booming sector in desperate need of highly skilled manpower.

The fair, titled "Trade Logistics Job Fair 2024", was arranged by the USAID Feed the Future Bangladesh Trade Activity and held at the Navy Convention Centre in the port city yesterday.

"I really had no idea about the logistics and supply chain sector. I didn't know about a number of local and foreign firms that are involved in different logistical activities, ranging from shipping and freight forwarding to clearing goods and transporting them," said Zarin.

"It amazed me when I learned that such firms also require skilled individuals for human resource management," she added.

Mohammad Haider Jahan Khan, team leader of USAID Feed the Future Bangladesh Trade Activity, told The Daily Star that the fair was designed to create awareness about job prospects in the burgeoning sector and bridge the gap between leading logistics and trade companies and aspiring students.

He said the USAID and Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association (BAFFA) jointly launched a 9-month diploma course, titled "Integrated Supply Chain Management (ISCM) Course" at Chittagong Independent University (CIU) last month, adding that 30 students had already enrolled.

They are trying to introduce the course in three more private universities in Chattogram.

Steven Ryan, an international management consultant currently based in Indonesia, highlighted the aspects of the course at a session.

Terming the course an "industry-driven training solution for students", Ryan said it would provide basic knowledge of logistics and supply chain management activities relating to field level operations.

Abdullah Safat, a first-year student of philosophy at a government college who dedicates his evenings to the ISCM course, also attended the fair.

Safat grew up in the city's Patenga area, where several inland container depots (ICDs) are located. Despite that, he thought ICDs only provided jobs for blue-collar workers.

He learned about the logistics sector from the ISCM course and came to know that firms working with ICDs require skilled workers as well after speaking to representatives of local and foreign firms at the fair.

Prominent industry associations representing freight forwarders, shipping agents, clearing and forwarding agents, ICDs, as well as different shipping and logistic firms participated in the fair, setting up 25 stalls.

Organisers said around 1,000 students from five private universities had pre-registered to attend. Moreover, many others attended through spot registration, they said.

The daylong event featured engaging programmes for professionals and students.

Mashuk Al Hossain, deputy chief of party for Feed the Future Bangladesh Trade Activity, delivered the keynote address, setting the tone for discussions.

Several experts, including former Chittagong Port Member Md Zafar Alam, BAFFA Vice-President Khairul Alam Suzan, and Bangladesh Shipping Agents Association (BSAA) Chairman Syed Mohammad Arif, shared valuable insight during a session, titled "Revolutionizing Logistics: Next-Level Strategies for Industry Trailblazers".