Technological advancement and industry automation will replace many low-skilled jobs, and to remain competitive in the market globally we need to identify the skill gaps and preparedness, said Mr Rizwan Rahman, president of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) on Saturday.
While addressing a webinar, titled ‘Industry and Academia Linkage: Role of Academia’, he also said the country's graduates struggle in the job market as our conventional education system prevents skill development in line with the industry demands.
As a result, foreigners dominate in the technical and managerial positions in the key industries, leading to substantial remittance outflow from Bangladesh, he added.
The other discussants at the webinar also underscored the need for meeting the market demand and the 4th industrial revolution (4IR) through modernising teaching methods and redesigning the curriculum at the university level, reports UNB citing a press release.
Industry-academia collaboration in the US, Europe and South Korea can be examples for the country, they discussed.
The industry and academia gaps include curriculum mismatch with the industry standard, lack of working environment for interns, and academics without industry exposure. So, the industry-representation in the academic council and advisory board of universities will minimise the gap between the demand and supply side.
Professor Satya Prasad Majumder, vice-chancellor Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), underscored the importance of redesigning the curriculum – with a focus on technology, innovation, business incubation, startups and entrepreneurship development.
Imran Rahman, a special advisor to the board of trustees of the University of Liberal Arts, said, "For building a linkage between industries and universities, there need to be joint initiatives."
"There are three aspects of education – teaching, research and career placement. But the most important one is research and innovation. And for that, the industry can join hands to inject necessary funds for research, considering it as an investment," he added.
The vice-chancellor of the American International University of Bangladesh Dr Carmen Z Lamagna said the government can arrange financial incentives, policy regulations, guidance and support and infrastructure development to foster industry-academia collaboration.
