The suggestion came up at webinar arranged by Youth School for Social Entrepreneurs (YSSE) in association with Northern University as part of Bangladesh Youth Symposium 2021.

As the chief guest of the webinar, former governor of Bangladesh Bank Atiur Rahman said Bangladesh is doing better than many other developing countries because of early digitalization.

“E-commerce sites have nearly doubled in the last few years thanks to the entrepreneurs. Our youths are our backbone. They are facilitating more than 50% of employment in our country,” he also said.

He added that the pandemic has come as an opportunity. The country’s youths are not waiting for jobs anymore; they are dedicated to creating one.

Atiur also emphasized the importance of startups, the contribution of freelancers, and how Bangladesh Bank is dedicated to easing the financial services around the country.

Mahtab Uddin Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of Robi Axiata Limited said, “Though the pandemic has eroded 60% of the job opportunities, an equal number would definitely come up in their place. “It is up to the younger generation to seek opportunity and come with great ideas to sustain in the new normal,” he added.

He also urged youths to improve skills to adopt the fourth industrial revolution.

Ghulam Sumdany Don, Chief Inspirational Officer of Don Sumdany Facilitation shared, “Around 90% of people get rejected in interviews due to their problems with English speaking, inadequate MS Office, presentation, and communication skills.

He addressed it is important to be tech-savvy, learning how to learn quickly, be adaptive and flexible, think critically, and leverage emotional intelligence in communication.

Md Rashedur Rahman, Executive Director of ICE addressed some myths and taboos prevailing regarding entrepreneurship.

“Both entrepreneurs and jobholders need to respect their profession. Self-assessment can be taken to find your entrepreneurial DNA. Youths should consider their dream and passion in life, evaluate which problems can be solved successfully, and look for ways that bring inner peace”, he added.

As the panelist, Deepal Jain, Director of Business Consulting & Analytics, and Sadaf Taimur, Research Fellow at Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) had presented their constructive discussion on the effects of Covid-19 on entrepreneurs and students as well as how the problems can be mitigated in time.

Dr Anwar Hossain, Vice-Chancellor of Northern University, its Assistant Professor Benazir Rahman, YSSE Founder President Sheikh Mohammad Yousuf Hossain and convener of Symposium AH Akib also spoke there.

However, YSSE is a youth-led non-profit organization that has been successfully working to empower youth, constantly guiding them on the endless opportunities towards building a poverty-free, innovative, gender-equal, and sustainable environment.