Economics Career Alliance (ECA), a club at the Economics department of University of Dhaka, has launched Career Expo 2020, a three-day long event aiming to bridge the gap between students and their future employers.
The three-day long event is one of the firsts of its kind in Bangladesh, with activities and competitions ranging from public speaking, poster making, quiz and case competitions to start-up patrons and a job fair on the final day of the event.
The event was inaugurated by Dr Shafique uz Zaman, chairman at the department of Economics, DU.
Before the official inauguration, he delivered his opening remarks focusing on how diversification of the economy is essential for its success and urged the students to prepare themselves for the real world, finding ways to apply their knowledge instead of simply learning from the classroom.
Preceding the chairman was Dr Sayema Haque Bidisha, professor at the Economics department, DU and one of the moderators of ECA.
Expressing how the mismatch of skills with the degree earned is one of the biggest problems in Bangladesh, Professor Bidisha stated, "I graduated in the year 2000. Back when I was a student, cellphones and the Internet were not widely available. While these are not an issue for the new generation, they tend to face other challenges, such as that of the impending 4th industrial revolution," she addressed the audience.
The students were urged to explore their individual opportunities and limitations; finding ways to lessen these limitations and embrace the opportunities.
After the event was officially inaugurated, a workshop on "Skills of the Future Job Market" was conducted by Saud Khandaker Hossain, senior executive at BYLC.
The workshop concluded with an interactive session, with two members of the audience coming forward with a speech prepared in 10 minutes, along with a feedback session.
The workshop was followed by a panel discussion on "Industrial Expansion and Green Economy" led by Dr M.M Akash, professor at the Economics Department, DU and Saud Khandaker Hossain from BYLC.
Dr Akash observed how industrialisation is happening without any concentration whatsoever on green economy, suggesting that levying progressive green tax and other mandates might help industrialists become willingly compliant towards being more eco-friendly.
The day ended in a public speaking competition in both English and Bengali, on the topics of Fourth Industrial Revolution, Future of Bangladesh Economy and Brexit.
With the precedence set on the first day, the participants will surely be hoping to be a part of equally engaging events on the upcoming two days of the event.
The Financial Express is a media partner of the event.