Skills development and need-based education must cope up with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4^th IR)

We are at the transition time to step into the 4th industrial revolution and to cope up with this transformation we need to enhance our need-based skills development and change the overall education system, said Syed Tamjid ur Rahman, Vice President, and Distinguished Fellow of  Bangladesh Center for Fourth Industrial Revolution (BD4IR) in his keynote paper at a discussion meeting organized jointly by Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) and Bangladesh Center for Fourth Industrial Revolution (BD4IR) on December 20, 2018 at DCCI auditorium.

4th Industrial revolution (4IR) is fully based on modern and sophisticated technology along with artificial intelligence, he said. 4th industrial revolution will have an impact on businesses as well as growth, employment, new skills and nature of work, he highlighted. the 4IR will change the customers' expectation and manufacturing pattern. Technology will control everything in the future, he said. The 4IR will raise the global income, improve quality of life, emerge new products and services, increase efficiency and productivity, transportation and communication costs will drop, the global supply chain will become effective, open up a new market and drive economic growth, he said. We must develop a comprehensive and globally shared view of how technology is affecting our lives and reshaping our economic, social, cultural and human environment.

Senior Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs H.E. Md. Shahidul Haque was present as the chief guest. He said still we do not have any intellectual property rights lawyer in Bangladesh. He said leadership is very critical in terms of technology adaptability. He said we have a demographic dividend of young population and they are more capable of adapting technology, they are bright and brilliant. It's true that because of 4IR job loss will be the main challenge but we are optimistic that it will create more job opportunities. We need to think out of the box, he said. To keep ourselves fit into the world, we have to look for newer innovation, he said.

DCCI President Mr. Abul Kasem Khan in his opening remarks said that the 4th Industrial Revolution is evolving fast and changing economies, businesses, industries and transforming entire system of production, management, and governance. The 4th Industrial Revolution will focus on artificial intelligence, robotics, internet of things (IoT), cloud technology, block-chain, 3D printing, nanotechnology, and biotechnology. These will not only open up new opportunities but also will create some new challenges as it will cater to the nature of job and production. The world is moving faster, and we need to keep the same pace to be competitive, so, first of all, we need to create awareness and need to have the ability of technology adaptability. Trade, industry businesses, investment, production, supply chain, marketing, market, and overall economy will face a challenge because of 4th industrial revolution, so we need to create awareness and transformation to traditional businesses to the tech-based business system along with new innovation.  

Policy Adviser of Access to Information (a2i) project of the government Mr. Anir Chowdhury said that the biggest challenge of the fourth industrial revolution is jobs loss. By the year 2025 there will be new city where no traffic lights will be used. We see job loss in the RMG sector but not in a remarkable figure. But in the next 5-7 years, this quantity may increase. We need to re-skilled about 7.5 crore people within the next 20 years and within this timeframe 2 crore people need to come under new skill development project, he informed. To be competitive in the business sector we have to change our education system and need to enhance research and development collaboration. For need-based education system, he emphasized the new structure of the curriculum, training for the teachers to make them facilitator and focusing distinctly on skill development.    

Vice President of DCCI Mr. Riyadh Hossain also spoke on the occasion. He urged for policy reforms, industry-academia collaboration, vocational training, R&D and skill development.

Senior Vice President of DCCI Mr. Kamrul Islam, FCA made the closing remarks. DCCI Directors Imran Ahmed, SM Zillur Rahman, Md. Alauddin Malik, former Senior Vice Presidents Osama Taseer, Haider Ahmed Khan, FCA were also present among others.   

The Bangladesh Center for Fourth Industrial Revolution is a center of excellence for Engaging politics, business, media, civil society and academia for shaping the future of industry and society in the context of globalization 4.0. Bangladesh Center for Fourth Industrial Revolution (BD4IR) would like to work in collaboration with politics, business/Industry, media, civil society, and academia to initiate sectoral studies to address the challenges, opportunities, and way forwards and develop concrete action plans and strategies. BD4IR is looking forward to working with stakeholders to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Bangladesh.

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Bazlu

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AHM. Bazlur Rahman-S21BR | Chief Executive Officer |

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC)

[Consultative Status with the ECOSOC of the United Nations]

Research Fellow, Shaping the Future of Media, Information  & Entertainment

in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution(4th IR)

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