The government of Bangladesh has undertaken eight strategic initiatives aimed at transforming the nation into a cost-effective, sustainable, innovative, intelligent, and knowledge-based 'Smart Bangladesh' by 2041. These initiatives are designed to enhance the ICT sector's contribution to the GDP, expand digital services, and foster innovation across various domains. Key Initiatives and Targets ICT Sector Growth: The government aims for the ICT sector to contribute 20 percent to the GDP by 2041. This ambitious target is part of a broader strategy to diversify the nation's economic foundations. Digitization of Government Services: By 2041, 100 percent of government services will be digitized, making them more accessible to the populace. This effort seeks to streamline processes and enhance the efficiency of public service delivery. Boost in ICT Exports and Employment: The plan includes increasing ICT exports to USD 5 billion and expanding ICT employment to 3 million by 2025. Additionally, professional mentorship will be provided to 1,000 Bangladeshi startups by 2025 to nurture emerging entrepreneurs. Innovation Hubs: Establishment of 10 innovation hubs within the top universities aims to stimulate creativity and technological advancement. Startup Ecosystem: The goal to build at least 5 unicorns—startups valued at over USD 1 billion—reflects the government's commitment to fostering a robust startup ecosystem. Specialized Labs for 4IR Technologies: Universities will host specialized labs focusing on cutting-edge technologies such as Robotics, AI, IoT, Big Data, Blockchain, and AR/VR, preparing students for future job markets. Smart Digital Leadership Academy and 4IR Centre: These institutions will play pivotal roles in cultivating leadership and technical skills necessary for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Read more: Govt to include Smart Bangladesh in mid-term dev plan: Official Document Current Progress and Future Plans With over two-thirds of Bangladesh's population in the workforce, skill development and employment generation, particularly in the ICT sector, are high priorities. The government is actively transforming its large workforce to meet future market demands, as evidenced by the slight decrease in unemployment from 4.2 percent in FY 2016-17 to 3.6 percent in 2022, according to the Labor Force Survey 2022. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently highlighted that the unemployment rate is at three percent. Efforts to decrease this further include the Skills for Employment Improvement Program, implemented by the Finance Division, under which over 600,000 individuals have been trained. Furthermore, the successful implementation of various initiatives has already facilitated employment for about 2 million people in fields ranging from IT freelancing to fintech and e-commerce, according to the official document ‘Medium Term Macroeconomic Policy Statement (2023-24 to 2025-26)’. The Bangladesh Hi-tech Park Authority is also working to convert over 60,000 youths into IT professionals by 2025, with 37,800 already having completed training programs, the document added. Read more: Join hands in building ‘Smart Bangladesh’ under PM Sheikh Hasina's leadership: Envoy Looking Ahead The ICT Division has formulated the "Smart Bangladesh: ICT 2041 Master Plan" centered around four pillars: Smart Citizen, Smart Government, Smart Economy, and Smart Society. These pillars are expected to guide Bangladesh to the next stage of development, leveraging the potential of the 4IR to achieve a smarter and more sustainable future. The initiatives reflect a comprehensive strategy by the Bangladesh government to harness the power of digital technology and innovation, steering the country toward significant economic transformation and enhanced global competitiveness by 2041. Read more: Palak delivers speech on Smart Bangladesh in Singapore

The government plans to increase the number of students in technical education to 30 percent by 2030, from the existing 17 percent. The government has taken the move as one of its principal aims to create skilled human resources in information technology compatible with the Fourth Industrial Revolution. To that end, the government is laying emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) based education and training, according to an official document. To meet the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution the government is giving importance to teaching appropriate technology-based subjects in the classroom and is allocating a budget to the National Curriculum and Textbook Board, or NCTB, for bringing necessary changes in the curriculum. Also read: MoFA, Technical and Madrasa Education Division vow to modernize technical and madrasa education In addition, the government has undertaken several important training programmes aimed at creating a skilled IT workforce. For example, the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority has set a target to train more than sixty thousand young people by 2025 and one lakh by 2030 to fulfil the demand of the IT sector. More than 36,000 people have already been trained under various projects and programmes. The project implemented by the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) has provided training on Information and Communication Technology to about 2.34 lakh people and most of them are doing jobs in various ICT companies/organisations at home and abroad. To adapt to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including augmented reality and virtual reality, the document said, specialised labs will be set up at every university of the country and work is underway to set up 57 such specialised labs. Work on establishment of Sheikh Kamal IT Training and Incubation Centres in 64 districts and 10 Digital Village is in progress to provide proper training for young people. Besides this, the training programmes on emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, block-chain, robotics, big data, cloud computing etc. are in progress. Also read: Dovetailing higher and technical education needed: Dipu Moni Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently in the first meeting of the Governing Board of the National Skill Development Authority (NSDA) held at her office (PMO) directed the officials to take necessary steps for realising the demographic dividend. She mentioned that each year some 2.2 million individuals enter the job market. If this huge manpower could be trained up properly with appropriate training it would bring enormous benefits for the country. She also asked the officials to pay attention to technology-based training programmes for grabbing the opportunities in the coming Fourth Industrial Revolution. According to the official document, the enrolment rate in technical education, which was less than 1.0 percent 12 years ago, is now 17.25 percent. The technical education enrolment rate is the percentage of secondary students enrolled in technical / vocational education programmes, including teacher training programmes. In the 2022 academic year, 26,846 students have been enrolled in pre- vocational courses from 6th to 8th grade and 20,613 students from the 9th grade of 134 technical schools and colleges have been enrolled up to January 2022.

The Islami Bank Training and Research Academy (IBTRA) organised the workshop "The Challenges of the 4th Industrial Revolution in Banking Sector" Saturday in the capital. Mohammed Monirul Moula, managing director and CEO of the bank, inaugurated the programme as chief guest. SM Rabiul Hassan, principal of the IBTRA, presided over it. Read: Islami Bank CEO bullish at branch opening The workshop was addressed by Mohammed Ishaque Miah, general manager, and SM Tofayel Ahmad, joint director and system analyst, of the Bangladesh Bank.  Additional Managing Director Md Omar Faruk Khan; deputy managing directors Md Mostafizur Rahman Siddiquee, Md Altaf Hossain and Md Nayer Azam, Taher Ahmed Chowdhury, and Chief Risk Officer Mohammad Ali attended the workshop on a virtual platform along with around 500 executives and officials of the bank.  Read IBTRA 194th internship programme closing ceremony held

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said the government is preparing the country for tapping the opportunities of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) to accelerate its economic growth towards the desired level. “We’re formulating an innovative education ecosystem (IEE) by increasing the budget for research and innovation. We’re framing the National Blended Learning Policy-2021. Through this policy, we’ll be able to introduce an education system bridging the technological gap,” she said. Sheikh Hasina said this while delivering her speech at the closing ceremony of a two-day international conference on the 4th Industrial Revolution-2021 held at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre. She joined the programme, which was organised on the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Golden Jubilee of independence, virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban. Hasina said the use of technologies is increasing day by day along with invention of new ones. “Bangladesh has to move on keeping the pace of that.” Read: Long-term policy sought for 4IR, technological shift She said Bangladesh needs industrialisation while its economy is an agro-based one. “But we need industrialisation, we need agriculture and industries both, we’re taking various steps keeping that in our mind.” Given the perspective of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, three issues are gaining importance -- development of the industry through innovation of sophisticated technology, creating skilled workforce, and protecting the environment, the PM said. “Industrialisation aims to improve the lifestyle of people, create a market for new products, and accelerate the pace of the economy through employment,” she said.

State-owned telecom operator Teletalk will roll out fifth-generation (5G) technology for broadband cellular networks by December, with other operators following in 2022, Posts and Telecommunication Minister Mustafa Jabbar said Saturday. "The technology of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) would be 5G. We have already tested 5G through Huawei and Robi, which has boosted our confidence," the minister said. Read 5G: Oppo teams up with Ericson to launch updated communication lab He was speaking at the webinar "5G Ecosystem in Bangladesh and Upcoming Technologies" organised by the Telecom Reporters' Network Bangladesh (TRNB). Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Shyam Sunder Sikder said the process of launching 5G in Dhaka city by this year is at the final stage. "Teletalk has started making preparations for the launch. Work related to the formulation of a broadband policy is also underway." Read: Planning to launch 5G by end of this year: Joy

Speakers at a virtual dialogue on Tuesday said though there is huge potential to boost the country’s apparel export in future, the employment generation would be shrunk in the readymade garment (RMG) sector due to the growing use of automation in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) era. Since the RMG sector will go through a massive change in the next 7-8 years for the situation given by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Bangladesh’s graduation into a developing country. So, it is time to make prepare the sector, particularly its workers by upskilling and reskilling them, for the changed future, they said. Citizen’s Platform for SDGs Bangladesh and Christian Aid Bangladesh jointly arranged the dialogue titled “Bangladesh’s RMG Sector and Workers: Anticipating the Future” in a virtual platform. Dr Abdur Razzaque, Chairman of Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID) said Bangladesh uses some 140 workers to make readymade garments of US$ 1 million, But China and Vietnam use only 48 workers and India and Cambodia use 75 workers. “So, the use of automation and advanced technology would rise massively soon in Bangladesh. That means our apparel export will be increased by 30-40 billion in future, but the sector may not generate new employments,” he said. Dr Razzaque, also Director of Policy Research Institute (PRI), said Bangladesh has a lot of opportunities to export RMG goods to the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States in future. Prof Rehman Sobhan, Chairman of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) said the workers fell into various uncertainties due to the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. So, the state, garment entrepreneurs and worker leaders, researchers and civil society will have to lead collectively to ensure the rights of workers, he said putting emphasis on strengthening coordination among the labour unions. Convenor of Citizen’s Platform Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, who presided over the dialogue, said the RMG sector is going through changes centering 3Ps –product, production and productivity. The handling 3Ps would be a big matter for Bangladesh in future, he said. Read: IMF keen to work closely for Bangladesh’s RMG sector’s development “Now Bangladesh should pay its utmost attention to the workers in the changing situation,” he said adding that the real income and non-wage benefits of workers, education and health of the future workforce will be taken into consideration giving focus on the women worker. Dr Debapriya said it is essential to create an emergency fund for the workers to bring them under a universal social protection coverage in any difficult time. Prof Mustafizur Rahman, a distinguished fellow of CPD, said the RMG sector will go through a radical change in the next 7-8 years. “The country’s apparel sector can’t survive in the global completion without going for automation and modernization,” he said. Bangladesh needs to promote the light engineering sector to generate new employment in future, he said. Former BGMEA president Dr Rubana Huq said the light engineering sector has a huge potential. “So, it is high time for us to make investment in the light engineering sector. We should design a mid-term plan, not long-term plan over how we can go to the light engineering sector,” she added. Dr Rubana Huq put emphasis on the preparation for the potential changes in the RMG sector in the 4IR era. Towfiqul Islam Khan, Senior Research Fellow of CPD, presented the report of a study conducted over 500 RMG workers’ households in four districts --Dhaka, Chattogram, Gazipur and Narayanganj—in June last focusing the workers’ dealing with the aftermath of Covid-19. During the first wave, two-third of the workers did not receive the salaries on time and even woven and sweater factories struggled more in paying dues to workers, according to the study. Besides, more than half of the RMG workers experienced reduction in overtime during the first wave compared to the pre-Covid period, said  the study.

Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) and Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET) on Monday signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) to work together and face the challenges of 4IR. DCCI President Rizwan Rahman and Vice Chancellor of BUET Prof. Satya Prasad Majumder signed the document on behalf of their respective organizations. Read: Vaccination for all to help achieve GDP target: DCCIAccording to the cooperation agreement, both DCCI and BUET will work together for skill development to meet up the challenges of fourth industrial revolution as well as to arrange joint research, seminars, webinars, job fairs, business meet and model development. DCCI President Rizwan Rahman said BUET has been contributing a lot in the country’s technological and infrastructural development since its inception. "Whether it is a matter of any mega infrastructure or disaster management issues, BUET always extended its forerunner role." He also put emphasis on developing innovative technologies, sector specific research as per the demand of industry. The DCCI chief said industry-academia collaboration like this one will foster skill development as per the need of the industries. Read:Collective efforts needed to address challenges of 4IR Considering the need of 4IR, it is the best time to take initiative of re-skilling and up skilling our work force, he added. Vice Chancellor of BUET Prof. Satya Prasad Majumder said Bangladesh is going to be a developing nation with an industrially advancement.  "For this we have to prepare ourselves identifying the problems of industry sector and ensure wider use of innovative technology and research," he said. BUET will also focus on the industry driven research. For this he requested for sharing Chamber’s business related database with BUET.  Read: Buet students threaten class boycott if Abrar murder accused continues classes He underscored the importance of proper implementation of this cooperation. "There is a need of students’ integration with the industry for their skill up gradation."DCCI Senior Vice President N K A Mobin, FCS, FCA, Vice President Monowar Hossain, BUET’s Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Abdul Jabbar Khan, Deans from different Faculties and different Heads of the departments also joined the signing ceremony among others virtually.   

The `Hire and Train’ model, introduced by the government to create skilled human resources on frontier technology to utilise the potentials of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), has ensured ‘80% job placement’ in IT companies, officials said. They said the beauty of the training model is that 80 percent or 856 of the 1070 trainees get jobs in different IT companies immediately after completion of the training that concluded last month. Leveraging ICT (LICT) Project of Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) under ICT Division engaged 32 companies to provide training in `Hire and Train’ model on frontier technologies like AI, IoT, Blockchain to the 1070 persons. The training was part of the Fast-Track Future Leader (FTFL) programme of the Project. “When the government is working to develop a quality training model to ensure jobs for the trainees the `Hire and Train’ model has set a unique example by providing 80% job placement in IT companies,” said State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak adding that this model could be replicated in other training programmes of the ICT Division. Palak said the government has taken various programmes, including organising training, establishing Sheikh Hasina Institute of Frontier Technology (SHIFT) and Centre of Excellence (CoE) to create skilled manpower on frontier technologies which are expediting the emergence of 4IR. “We’re taking preparations to face challenges as well as utilise potentials of 4IR,” the ICT State Minister said.    When contacted, Senior Secretary of ICT Division NM Zeaul Alam said the government cannot sit idle at a time when frontier technologies are set to play a pivotal role in accelerating the fourth industrial revolution and boost the digital economy. The government will not only continue to provide training on frontier technologies, but also help provide financial assistance to the potential startups based on frontier technologies like AI, IoT, blockchain, Augmented Realities, Virtual Realities, he said. Project Director LICT Project Tarique M Barkatullah stressed the need for developing the best quality curriculum to ensure quality training and taking steps to introduce it in the educational institution. “Otherwise, we’ll be lagging behind in creating skills to be required to face the challenges of 4IR,” he added. IT-ITES Policy Adviser of LICT Project Sami Ahmed who played a key role in introducing `Hire and Train’ model, said this model has proved to be very much effective as it ensures 80 percent job placement in IT companies.  The training held on 22 different tracks on frontier technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Blockchain, Data Science, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Internet of Things (IoT) on hire and recruitment model, he said. Sami said the country’s 55 IT companies -- 35 of Dhaka and 20 of Jashore Sheikh Hasina Software Technology Park -- which are desperately looking for frontier-tech skilled manpower have benefited directly from this training.

Over 60,000 people in Bangladesh gained digital skills amid the pandemic with the support of Microsoft. The company made the announcement in a media statement released on Thursday. "From laid-off factory workers to retail associates and truck drivers, millions of people have turned to online learning courses from GitHub, LinkedIn, and Microsoft during the pandemic to help prepare for and secure the most in-demand roles, including customer service projects management and data analysis," it said. Microsoft's announcement builds on the company's efforts to help people by extending free LinkedIn Learning and Microsoft Learn courses and low-cost certifications, that align to 10 of the most in-demand jobs, throughout 2021.  Also read: Microsoft server hack has victims hustling to stop intruders The next stage of the initiative sets a new foundation for a skills-based economy through a suite of new tools and platforms designed to connect skilled job seekers with employers.  "The pandemic has changed everything, and the post-pandemic world will be a lot different than what we knew of it," said Afif Mohamed Ali, country managing director of Microsoft Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, and Nepal. "We are standing on the brink of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which will fundamentally bring alchemical change and significantly impact all industries, including the job market It has become vital for individuals to learn and improve the skill set that will help them emerge stronger in the post-pandemic world." "So, we have collaborated with LinkedIn to double our efforts to support the development of a more inclusive skill-based labour market, to create more alternatives, greater flexibility, and access learning paths to connect more people with new job opportunities," said Afif. Also read: TikTok owner picks Oracle over Microsoft as US tech partner LinkedIn plans to help 250,000 companies globally make skills-based hires this year through new and existing hiring products.  The company will provide both new ways for job seekers to demonstrate their skills and new tools for employers to connect to candidates based on their skill proficiencies including, LinkedIn Skills Path, LinkedIn profile features, and LinkedIn Skills Graph.  "More and more, we are seeing skills-based hiring becoming critical in our world of work. We've seen people across the globe express a desire to learn and build their skills, and organisations too, are hiring based on skills instead of traditional qualifications," said Olivier Legrand, managing director and vice-president of LinkedIn Asia Pacific and China. "LinkedIn, together with Microsoft, are committed to helping everyone shift towards a skills-based economy. In 2021, we will continue our efforts to equip job seekers with the right resources to pick up new skills, and connect them to opportunities, as well as aim to help 250,000 organizations make a skills-based hire." Read City Bank partners with Microsoft to enable its employees to work from home

The National Skills Development Authority (NSDA) Wednesday launched the Creative Media Industry Skills Council (CMISC) for creative skills training and development.