It is no secret at this point that Bangladesh intends to become a prosperous, high income country in the next two decades. For the nation to be successful in arguably its most ambitious undertaking till date, many changes must be prioritized — among which, upskilling our labour force is among the most pressing needs.
With technological changes occurring at an exponential level and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) threatening to change work as we know it, Bangladesh keeping up with how the future of work evolves is paramount to it fulfilling its goals.
What is particularly noteworthy is that our workforce also realizes that in order to remain relevant and productive, they must evolve and be equipped with skills and training that is reflective of present times — more than 80% workers of RMG factories in Bangladesh think they need more training to face challenges of 4IR, according to a survey of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).
Bangladesh’s RMG industry continues to be the dominant export product for the nation, but it is no secret that it is inexpensive labour that is the hallmark of our industry, and not high skill. Moving forward, in order to address the skills gap that threatens to only widen, relevant training is required in the form of skill enhancement programs.
The authorities concerned and all relevant stakeholders must take this issue with the seriousness it warrants. At the speed with which work is changing, and entire industries being threatened due to automation, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies, it is only when our workforce aligns with our ambitions will we become successful in becoming the prosperous nation we intend to be.
