In collaboration with the Directorate of Technical and Madrasah Education (DTE) of Bangladesh, the Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC) successfully organized the In-country Program on Industry-Institution Linkages (IIL) in the Technical Teacher’s Training College in Dhaka from June 16-20, 2019. A total of 45 TVET practitioners, instructors and teachers participated in the program.

Through this program, CPSC contributed to the raising of awareness and provision of skills and values necessary to put industry-institution linkage system for TVET system into practice. It is founded on the premise that specific innovative approach is needed to deal with the industry-institution linkage developmental challenges for meeting the needs of today and in the future.

Dr. Patil (right) delivering his opening remarks as a program coordinator. The program was supervised by the heads of the two collaborating organizations namely the Director General of CPSC, Dr. Ramhari Lamichhane and the Additional Secretary and Director General of DTE, Mr. Rawnak Mahmud. Dr. Vijay Patil, CPSC Seconded Faculty Consultant, served as the Program Coordinator and Resource Person. Engr. Md. Jahangir Alam, presently the Director of the Planning and Development Division of DTE and former CPSC Faculty Specialist served as a local coordinator of the program.

The program was opened on June 16, 2019 and was attended by Dr. Md. Morad Hossai Mollah, Chairman of the Bangladesh Technical Education Board and Mr. Md. Monjurul Kader, Director (Administration) of the Directorate of Technical; Education. They expressed their optimism regarding the success of the participants to further realize the benefits of IIL in the development of TVET in Bangladesh. This statement was seconded by Dr. Vijay Patil, who is representing CPSC as the program coordinator and resource person. He mentioned in his opening remarks of his willingness to continually contribute to the development of TVET in Bangladesh as a faculty of CPSC.

Topics such as the (1) Concepts and Principles of Building Industry-Institution Linkages in TVET System; (2) Innovative Models and Approaches in TVET Industry- Institution Linkage; (3) Skills for Youth Employability and (4) Dual Training System: Concept, Benefits, and Challenges were tackled during the five-day duration. The program also included a study visit to the Haque group of Industries, a factory specializing on the manufacture of biscuits located in Dhaka.

National Seminar of Enhancement of Youth Employment Opportunity for TVET graduates

A half-day seminar regarding the abovementioned topic was held on June 19, 2019. In that event, CPSC and the participating institutes were given a chance to exchange ideas and experiences to provide an insight on addressing the concerns and exploring opportunities for the future of work. The seminar also provided a timely opportunity to share knowledge and experiences on the educational and training dimensions of enhancing the employability skills in youth. It also facilitated the discussion of policy tools, the coordinating mechanisms and the scope of national educational and training strategies to deal with employment opportunities in Bangladesh.

The following speakers were invited to the event to share their insights: (1) Prof. Yousuf Mahbubul Islam, PhD. (Vice Chancellor, Daffodil International University); (2) Ms. Kazi Roushan Ara (Executive Director, Leathergoods and Footwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association of Bangladesh) and (3) Mr. Fahim Mashroor (CEO, Bdjobs.com Ltd.).

Participants of the program during the classroom sessions
The participants during the study visit to an industry

Officials and invited guests of the program during the opening ceremony