A Chinese language training course has been launched in Mirsarai, Chattogram, aiming to equip local youths with language skills to tap into growing employment opportunities created by Chinese investment in the Mirsarai National Special Economic Zone.
The course, titled ‘Chinese Hatekhori’, was launched under the slogan “Learn Chinese easily, build a sure career.” The inaugural class was held at Mozammel Tower in Mirsarai Municipality on Friday afternoon, with 15 students in the first batch.
Course chief coordinator and trainer Jaman Ullah said more than 90 factories have already started production in the economic zone, with over 60 owned by Chinese investors. A significant number of Chinese nationals are currently living and working in Mirsarai to manage production and business operations.
He said the rapid expansion of Chinese investment has created growing demand for workers who can communicate in Chinese, but a shortage of locally available Chinese-speaking manpower means many employment opportunities are not being fully utilised by area residents.
“Chinese language skills can give local youth access to a much wider range of employment opportunities in the economic zone,” he said.
“If the salary of a general employee is Tk20,000, an employee proficient in Chinese can earn around Tk50,000 as an interpreter,” the trainer said. “Acquiring a specialised language skill can increase a young person’s earning capacity several times.”
Organisers said they plan to support students in finding employment after completing the course and are considering providing with assistance to deserving students seeking scholarships for higher education in China.
The inaugural session was presented and moderated by Jaman Ullah. Chinese language instructor and interpreter Arafat Hossain and Aqib Hossain, a Bangladeshi student at Harbin Institute of Technology in China, also spoke at the event.
