National University Graduates: insulant behind in job market

Skills twin a key reason, weber study finds; consultants for revamping curricula, coaching lecturers

12:00 AM, May 11, 2019 / LAST MODIFIED: 03:01 AM

May 11, 2019

Wasim Bin Habib:

Nayan Ahmed started trying to find employment since his graduation in 2016. Every day, he browses through newspapers and on-line job portals for employment opportunities publicly service and spends hours to prepared himself.

A student of politics at Govt BL faculty in Khulna, Nayan did sit many accomplishment tests for presidency jobs. however his cherished job remains elusive.

“I have given up hope of obtaining a government job. currently i've got to induce any job to support my family,” aforementioned a annoyed Nayan, United Nations agency came to Dacca 3 months agone from his Bagerhat point search of employment.

His father retired from government service 5 years agone. Elder of 2 brothers, Nayan should currently offer for his family.

Like him, thousands of scholars of presidency and non-government schools related to with the National University (NU) lose the primary few years once finishing their graduation in search of jobs, usually dubbed a “golden deer” in Bangla Desh.

A IBRD study has found as high as forty six p.c National University students stay idle for a minimum of 3 years on completion of their graduation.

“This share is extremely high in any customary. state so may be a grave issue for graduates from NU-affiliated schools and needs special attention,” aforementioned the study report free on March thirty one.

The study -- Graduate Employability of related to Colleges: New proof from Bangla Desh -- began in October 2016.

In Bangla Desh, around twenty hundred thousand job-seekers enter the labour market every year.

Currently, 1,862 schools are related to with the letter of the alphabet and therefore the variety keeps rising once a year.

More than eighteen hundred thousand students are presently listed in these schools, that accounts for sixty eight p.c of the whole entrance at education level, the study aforementioned, citing Bangla Desh Bureau of Education info and Statistics information.

In 2017, as several as five.46 hundred thousand students were learning within the final years of assorted educational programmes -- Degree Pass Course, Honours and Master’s -- with the letter of the alphabet.
‘DISMAL PICTURE’

The study relies on interview with two,350 graduates from NU-affiliated schools, 235 employers of presently utilized graduates, and principals and vice-principals of thirty five government and non-government schools.

It found that associate idle graduate applied for seventeen jobs since the beginning of state before they may realize employment.

On the opposite hand, regarding 3 in each four idle faculty graduates received a minimum of one job provide that they declined principally thanks to poor earnings packages.

Overall, sixty six p.c male graduates remained idle against seventy seven percent of their feminine counterparts.

Unemployment rate is comparatively lower in metropolitan areas, with the rural-urban magnitude relation standing at 72:58.

Of those idle, highest seventy four p.c are from humanities cluster, followed by sixty nine p.c from business discipline and sixty six percent from science cluster.

“It’s a dismal image,” aforementioned academic Abdul Mannan, the immediate past chairman of the University Grants Commission.

“We don’t want certificate-oriented graduates. the person and his data and skills behind the certificate are what's vital,” he told The Daily Star.
BUT WHY?

“The key downside is talent twin,” aforementioned Zahid Hussain, lead economic expert at the WB’s Dacca workplace.

The data and skills that the graduates acquire in schools have very little application at work, that makes the National University-affiliated faculty education less relevant within the labour market.

“College graduates usually lack relevant skills valued by employers. The core of the matter is on the availability facet, mirrored within the kind of inadequacies of quality and weak connection of education and skills of school graduates,” Zahid aforementioned.

In the study, over half the scholars surveyed aforementioned that they nonheritable “a ton of latest skills and knowledge” through educational and off-campus activities.

But all of this have very little use in work, that makes the letter of the alphabet faculty education less relevant in job market, the report aforementioned.

“This is dissatisfactory as faculty education is meant to show new skills and improve the cognitive content of the scholars.”

It conjointly found that solely third of the utilized graduates are ready to apply their data and skills in their work usefully.

“College graduates did not acquire sensible data and skills throughout their time of school study,” it said.

Prof Hafiz Md Hasan man, pro-vice chancellor of letter of the alphabet, acknowledged that the curricula of the National University and most different public universities failed to replicate the wants of job market.

“This may be a huge weakness of our university curricula,” he said.
WHAT EMPLOYERS need

Employers acknowledge that faculty graduates are sturdy in communication in Bangla and possess good work angle, however are weak in West Germanic and laptop skills.

More than half the 235 employers interviewed aforementioned schools ought to specialise in problem-solving skills and team-work skills to boost the general quality of school graduates. They conjointly need the colleges to strengthen coaching on ICT, West Germanic skills and communication skills.

The employers believe that business and specific skills-related subjects like applied science, finance and accounting, marketing, management, English, arithmetic, and statistics are the foremost relevant subjects within the job market.

“The results of this survey clearly demonstrate that this subject-wise distribution of student entrance in schools aren't well aligned with the employers’ preferences of experience of job candidates,” aforementioned Zahid Hussain.

On the opposite hand, solely four p.c of the 235 employers interviewed reportable having some kind of relationship with schools.

Only 3 employers aforementioned they'd partnerships for accomplishment and solely 2 reportable having a partnership for post programme with schools, the report aforementioned.

“Having solid partnership with industries would play a crucial role in increasing the employability of school students and rising their relevant skills,” aforementioned the study.
WHAT TO DO?

The job market has become skills-driven.

“Therefore, the graduates ought to be equipped with the proper set of skills to form them employable within the fast-changing job market,” academic Mannan aforementioned.

For this reason, the education system has to be revamped. The authorities ought to incessantly update their program and style it for the industries of the long run instead of the industries of the past, he said.

“Training of the trainers and educators is additionally a requirement,” he said.