Govt to establish technical education institute in Ctg
As part of the government's initiative to expand Bangladesh's technical education sector, a general engineering technology centre will be set up at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN) in Chattogram.
Once complete, the institute is expected to produce skilled manpower for industrial units located at the economic zone and subsequently save billions of dollars lost through outward remittance each year, said Paban Chowdhury, executive chairman of Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (Beza).
Beza in cooperation with the commerce ministry will build the institute on a 10-acre plot under the Export Competitiveness for Jobs Project financed by the World Bank.
Students enrolled at the institute will have access to sophisticated technology, be taught with up-to-date curriculums and have skills and management training courses.
"After graduation, they will be absorbed by different industries," he added.
Bangladeshi entrepreneurs spend around $6 billion annually to hire foreign experts, particularly from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, to help operate their businesses, according to various sources.
However, if skilled manpower was readily available, local entrepreneurs would not need to hire workers from abroad, said Chowdhury.
According to the Beza official, the development of similar educational facilities could attract investment since there is always demand for skilled workers.
If the institute produces efficient technicians, companies might also be able to manufacture high quality products for export.
Therefore, the general engineering technology centre will be a model for other technical education institutes in the country, he said.
The project has an estimated cost of $119.12 million, of which the World Bank will fund up to $ 100 million while the government the rest, according to Beza.
Although the project is being conducted under the commerce ministry, Beza is taking all kinds of initiatives to set up the institute, Chowdhury added.
Beza expects construction to be complete within the next two years.
Chowdhury said they hope to create 90,000 job opportunities through the project.
The project will help Bangladesh diversify its export basket beyond the garments industry to other labour-intensive sectors such as leather, footwear, plastics and light engineering, said Mohammad Anis, the World Bank's acting country director for Bangladesh.
Besides, the project will also improve worker quality and productivity while providing them with the access to modern technology and skills training, he added.
Meanwhile, Mehrin A Mahbub, the World Bank's spokesperson for Dhaka office, said a feasibility study on the proposed technical education institute has been completed.
It is also expected that once the establishment is built, it will attract private investment, promote trade and stimulate growth of micro, small and medium enterprises, she said. Md Obaidul Azam, the project director, informed that a 10-acre plot at the BSMSN has already been approved for the technology centre.
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