The National Skills Development Authority (NSDA) is set to integrate many of its services, ranging from registration to certification of skills, into a web portal to facilitate the services.
The web portal - National Skills Portal (NSP) - would gradually add more features in the coming days, people familiar with the development told the FE.
The NSP, which has been operational on a trial basis at www.skillsportal.gov.bd, is currently providing three services, including registration for the Skills Training Providers (STP).
Once fully operational, the web portal would help the stakeholders concerned to analyse data to detect skill gaps in the country, and prepare on-demand reports to make better decisions, said NSDA Member Md. Nurul Amin.
"We are continuously developing the website to make the NSDA a digital office, so that a service recipient's time, visit and cost come down significantly."
The portal would revolutionise endeavours related to skill development and their certification in the country, noted Mr Amin, comparing the portal to the Integrated Budget and Accounting System (IBAS) that significantly simplified pension disbursement using information and communications technology (ICT).
"You can't think of providing the best possible service without using the different components of ICT."
According to data available with the NSDA, initially the skill portal will add 16 modules or features, which will be increased further - if required.
Some of the modules of the digital platform are - policy, strategy and guidelines, Industry Skills Council (ISC), research and studies, live job opportunities, training learning materials, STPs' registration, course accreditation, assessment centre accreditation, overseas employment, monitoring and evaluation, and events and financing.
The NSDA signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with information technology company Synesis IT in last August.
Synesis IT will provide all kinds of technical support, including programme coordination and evaluation, according to the deal.
The NSDA will also ink a deal with the Election Commission (EC) to access the national identification database to digitally verify identification of trainers and trainees, Mr Nurul Amin also said.
Besides, it will also ink another deal with EkPay - a digital payment platform dedicated to people to government transactions - to simplify payments against services delivered to recipients.
"The portal will not only facilitate operations, but also ensure transparency, accountability and competence."
The scope of certificate verification from the portal will also help ensure authenticity of skill certificates, the NSDA member added.
The NSDA is a government agency under the Prime Minister's Office, assigned for developing policies to build skilled labour force and facilitate their acceptance in local and global job market.
Headquartered at the Biniyog Bhaban in Agargaon, the entity started operation in 2019 under the National Skills Development Authority Act 2018, to steer and coordinate all skill development activities of the country.
The skill portal is the NSDA's one of the priority responsibilities - to establish a strong database on skill training, skilled graduates' information, job and job-seekers' information, skill gap, and domestic and international labour markets, among others.
