UGC to introduce 3 job-focused courses at universities

The University Grants Commission (UGC) will introduce three special skill-development courses at universities across Bangladesh from January next year to help students prepare for the job market.
UGC member Professor Dr Abdullah-Al-Mamun disclosed the decision while addressing a discussion on bridging academia and industry for sustainable development, research excellence, innovation and industrialisation at Begum Rokeya University.

The university’s Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) organised the discussion, titled “Bridging Academia and Industry for Sustainable Development: Research Excellence, Innovation and Industrialization”, with Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Md Shawkat Ali in the chair.

Professor Mamun said academic knowledge alone was not sufficient to ensure success in the job market, stressing that students needed to develop professional skills alongside their studies.
“Alongside academic education, students must also develop skills in information technology, job preparation, communication, professional conduct and ethics,” he said.

The three courses will cover information and communication technology (ICT) and artificial intelligence (AI), employability skills, and ethics and professionalism.

The courses will be introduced under the UGC’s Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) project to help students acquire skills required in modern workplaces, he added.

Professor Mamun also said the incumbent government’s election manifesto had emphasised modernising the education sector, promoting third-language education, strengthening collaboration between industry and academia, and internationalising education.

He urged students to strengthen their soft skills and consider entrepreneurship rather than relying solely on conventional employment opportunities.

Teachers, researchers, students and other relevant stakeholders of Begum Rokeya University attended the discussion.