Bizbdnews Desk:: In order to cope with the rapidly changing economic activities driven by evolving information and technology, Bangladesh should put greater emphasis on developing skilled human resources. There is also the need for modernization of the country’s overall education system, expansion of technical and vocational education programmes, ensuring adequate budget allocation, providing necessary training to meet the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), strengthening coordination among relevant government agencies and fostering stronger industry-academia collaboration. Speakers highlighted these issues at a roundtable discussion titled Smart Human Capital Development in the Context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) held on October 27, 2025 at the DCCI Auditorium. Executive Chairman of National Skills Development Authority (NSDA) Dr. Nazneen Kawshar Chowdhury graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.
In his welcome remarks, DCCI President Taskeen Ahmed said that the Fourth Industrial Revolution is not just limited to technological transition rather it led the world toward a profound transformation in production systems, business operations and labor markets. He remarked that artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the country’s industrial and service sectors. Citing the World Economic Forum, he mentioned that nearly one-fourth of current jobs will be transformed over the course of next five years. He stressed that in the post-LDC era, smart human resources will be a key instrument to remain competitive and we must prepare ourselves for technology-driven employment opportunities. Dhaka Chamber President also stated that to tackle this evolving reality, Bangladesh must bring fundamental reforms in its education system, focus more on technical education and strengthen industry-academia linkage.
Speaking as the Chief Guest, Dr. Nazneen Kawshar Chowdhury, Executive Chairman (Secretary) of the National Skills Development Authority (NSDA), highlighted that there is a lack of coordination among government agencies involved in conducting training programs, as well as the limited awareness regarding the importance of skill development. She mentioned that during its initial phase, NSDA primarily focused on establishing its legal, physical and administrative structures; however, the organization now is focusing on training for human resource development. In addition, she informed that initiatives have been undertaken to teach the Japanese language with government and academic support to send 100,000 skilled workers to Japan. Besides, she stressed the need for training programmes to upskill the women population. The Executive Chairman also suggested integrating skill development with the Fourth Industrial Revolution while enhancing public-private collaboration.
In his keynote presentation Dr. M Niaz Asadullah, Visiting Professor of Economics, Reading University, UK; Senior Fellow, IDEAS, Malaysia; Adjunct Professor, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand mentioned that according to a 2019 study conducted by Aspire to Innovate (a2i) and UNDP, due to the advancement of information technology by 2030 around 5.38 million jobs might be lost in Bangladesh’s RMG, food and agriculture, furniture, tourism and hospitality sectors. Therefore, he stressed the need to enhance workers’ technological skills through rigorous training. He also called for modernization of the education system, wider use of advanced technologies in technical education and ensuring budget allocation for implementing skill development programmes.
Mahtab Uddin Ahmed, FCMA, President of The Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB) mentioned that only 20 percent of graduates get jobs matching their qualifications while around 2 million remain unemployed. He underscored the importance of promoting technical education and changing the societal mindset toward vocational training.
Professor Dr. Shams Rahman, Vice Chancellor, East West University (EWU) remarked that the current education system is not adequately aligned with industry demands and thus, coordinated efforts between the education and industrial sectors are crucial to produce skilled human resources.
Mohammed Saiful Hassan, Joint Secretary, ICT Division, Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority called upon for local and foreign entrepreneurs to invest individually or jointly in the country’s Hi-Tech Parks.
Raisul Kabir, Chief Executive Officer of Brain Station 23 mentioned that there is a common misconception that the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence will threaten millions of jobs worldwide but if utilized efficiently, AI can instead create employment opportunities by increasing the demand for faster and higher-quality work. However, providing training and upskilling the workforce are essential to prepare for future demands.
Dr. Muhammad Masroor Ali, Professor, Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) Department, BUET pointed out that a significant disparity in education quality between urban and rural areas remains one of the major obstacles to developing a skilled workforce in the country. To address this issue, he emphasized the need to ensure quality education at all levels.
Khan Muhammad Saqiful Alam, FCILT, Regional Senior Manager, Data & Analytics, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, British American Tobacco emphasized the necessity of modernizing the education curriculum and enhancing corporate training and awareness for skill development.
M. Shabbir Ali, Corporate Head of Human Resource (HR), Transcom Group proposed forming a separate national council to oversee training programmes and enhance coordination among government agencies and awareness among entrepreneurs regarding the benefits of ICT and automation.
In the open floor discussion, DCCI former Vice President M. Abu Hurairah emphasized on sending skilled manpower abroad to boost remittance earnings and called for expansion of technical education programmes. DCCI Director Zamsher Ali, Convenor of the DCCI Standing Committee Mir Sharukh Islam also spoke during this session.
DCCI Senior Vice President Razeev H Chowdhury, Vice President Md. Salem Sulaiman, members of the Board of Directors and other stakeholders were also present at the event.
Press Release.