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I am delighted in this
momentous occasion as Chittagong Skills Development Centre (CSDC) is
all set to begin its remarkable journey. The formation of CSDC is a
shining example of successful partnership between industry and
government to create a large and formidable pool of highly skilled
Bangladeshi workforce. In line with its terms of references, Board
of Investment (BOI) has always facilitated private sector
development initiatives and, we believe, that CSDC is a significant
step to develop our vast labor force, particularly, in our vitally
important and rapidly expanding ICT Sector. |
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We hope CSDC will be
able to offer practical and sustainable skills development solutions
to attain our dual goal of supplying productive workforces to the
private sector and fulfilling the national human resources
development agenda. This maiden, consultative public-private
partnership (PPP) will help to create a globally competitive
Bangladesh especially in targeted manufacturing and service sectors.
In addition, this initiative should also set precedence for future
social development projects in the country. |
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I congratulate all the
private sector and NGO partners - A.K.Khan & Company Ltd, AKTEL,
Alcatel, Bangladesh-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce & Industry,
Chittagong Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Ericsson, Huawei,
Pedrollo Group, UCEP and ZTE - for undertaking this ambitious
endeavor. Both as a Founder Member and the apex investment promotion
and facilitation agency of the country, Board of Investment is
committed to extend its supports to CDSC in developing a
high-skilled, tech-savvy, world-class workforce contributing towards
a knowledge-based economy in Bangladesh. |
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Mahmudur
Rahman Honorable Adviser, Energy & Mineral Resources Division, and Executive Chairman, Board of Investment |
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I would like to
congratulate Chittagong Skills Development Centre (CSDC) and its
pioneering industry-government partnership coming to fruition in
just over a year. Human resource development is an explicit tenet of
sustainable development, and enhancing the skills of Bangladesh's
labor force, as the CSDC initiative is endeavoring to do, will prove
vital to leveraging its competitive advantage. Chittagong Skills
Development Centre's private-public collaboration has the potential
to play a significant role in this regard, through providing skills
demanded by the labor market in the expanding manufacturing and ICT
sectors. |
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The World Bank is
pleased to have offered technical assistance as a Steering Committee
member in establishing CSDC, and it is heartening to see that this
initiative has generated considerable interest among both the
Chittagong and multinational business community in the country. I
believe CSDC's novel private-public approach serves as an exemplary
model for future initiatives in the area of skills development, and
the World Bank will closely follow CSDC's progress over the coming
years. We wish you all the best in this innovative
endeavor. |
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Christine
Wallich Country Director- Bangladesh, World Bank | |
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The concept of
Bangladesh Inc. is sine qua non for rapid economic development as
exemplified by Malaysia and other advanced developing economies
based on the Japanese model. As an industry-led-government smart
partnership, CSDC will strategically focus on Bangladesh's thrust
sectors, ICT and Manufacturing. Bangladesh must technologically
leapfrog by providing both our young professionals and unskilled
labor pool practical technical knowledge to sustain our promising
ICT sector and participate in the global knowledge economy. On the
manufacturing side, constant technology-related skills upgradation
in our globally-competitive RMG and linkage sectors are imperative
for long-term viability. |
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Furthermore, with
foreign investors and multilateral agencies recognizing Chittagong's
growing importance as the nation's commercial and transportation
hub, an economic corridor and a regional trade gateway, concurrent
human resource capacity building proves mission-critical. CSDC is
fully committed to developing our vast workforce to realize these
long-term industry objectives. |
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The Karnaphuli Valley
in Chittagong, following in Penang's footsteps, has the potential to
become our nation's Silicon Valley. A knowledge-based skilled force
is the economic imperative to create knowledge-based industries in
Chittagong which will one day attract the likes of Ericsson,
Alcatel, Huawei, Microsoft, ZTE and Intel to establish manufacturing
and research facilities in Bangladesh. We believe CSDC can help
create a "niche" market between our two giant neighbors by
unleashing our immense workforce potential; to ultimately join the
ranks of the Newly Industrialized Countries in the
future. |
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Salahuddin Kasem
Khan Managing Director, A. K. Khan & Co. Ltd. & Chairman, CSDC | |
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It is my honour and
pleasure to be part of this very historic event, the inauguration of
the CSDC.
My colleagues and I are very impressed by the speed of execution and commitment of the Steering Committee in setting up the CSDC in such a short time. I clearly recall the initial meeting with Mr. Salahuddin Kasem Khan in Penang in July 2003 when the idea of setting-up the CSDC was discussed. I was also informed that this initiative was first mooted between TM International and AK Khan Foundation. I salute all the individuals and organizations for operationalizing this as I firmly believe that investment in human capacity building will ensure the economic success of any nation. |
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The level of support
from the various stakeholders, mainly the Government, Industry and
Associations is laudable. With the establishment of the CSDC, I am
confident that the Centre will provide the vital training for the
workforce not only in the Chittagong Export Processing Zone (EPZ)
but also for the whole of Bangladesh. |
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I would also like to
thank all the people who have given the PSDC the opportunity to be
involved in the setting-up of the CSDC mainly Mr. Christian de
Faria, then CEO of TM International, who was also the former
Chairman of the PSDC and Mr. Salahuddin Kasem Khan, Managing
Director, AK Khan & Co Ltd. and Mr. Mikhail I. Islam. These
gentlemen had foresight and vision and more importantly, the passion
to set-up this successful Skills Development Centre. We from Penang,
Malaysia are proud to be associated with the CSDC and are committed
to assist in any way possible. Last but not least, we look forward to a long and successful strategic partnership with CSDC and to share best practices in Human Resource Development to strengthen manpower for both nations. | |
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Dato' Boonler
Somchit Chief Executive Officer, PSDC | |
