Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has directed action to protect Bangladesh’s reputation in the international labour market by stopping the misuse of skill training certificates and preventing fake credentials.
The instruction came during the National Skills Development Authority’s (NSDA) Governing Body meeting held at the Chief Adviser’s office in Tejgaon on Sunday.
This was NSDA’s second Governing Body session since its establishment in 2018, following the inaugural meeting in 2022.
Yunus said the authority provides a strong framework for developing skilled human resources aligned with national and global labour market demands. He warned that certificate forgery and fraudulent practices are tarnishing the reputation of Bangladesh’s workforce abroad.
“If employers lose trust, all initiatives for skills development will fail. These malpractices must be eliminated,” he emphasised.
Chief Adviser added that maintaining the country’s brand image is vital so that employers recognise Bangladeshi workers as competent and reliable.
He welcomed NSDA’s initiative to implement a unified certification system across all training institutes, calling it a crucial step in preventing certificate fraud. Professor Yunus also highlighted the creativity and potential of the country’s youth, urging private entrepreneurs to operate transparently and effectively, and stressing the need for coordinated efforts to expand opportunities for young workers.
The meeting reviewed the implementation of decisions from the previous session and approved the creation of an integrated skills ecosystem. Under this system, training programmes run by different ministries will follow uniform curricula and standards.
The framework aims to enhance certificate credibility internationally, reduce public expenditure, and enable better workforce planning and skills development in the industrial sector.
Long-term objectives were also endorsed, including conducting skills gap analyses in emerging sectors, integrating all development projects under NSDA curricula and competency standards, aligning the Bangladesh National Qualifications Framework (BNQF) with international benchmarks, and recognising large non-formal sector workforces through prior experience certification.
The Governing Body also discussed issuing CDCs to graduates trained at the Institute of Marine Technologies (IMT) under the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment.
The session was attended by Shipping adviser Brigadier General (Retd) M Sakhawat Hossain; Adviser to the Ministries of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, Industries, and Housing and Public Works Adilur Rahman Khan, Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, Chief Adviser’s Principal Secretary, NSDA Executive Chairman, secretaries of various ministries, and senior officials.
