A non-profit skills development institute named after renowned artist Potua Quamrul Hassan is set to begin operations in the capital’s Uttara area, aiming to equip young people with professional skills and help them pursue employment and entrepreneurship.
Named the Potua Quamrul Hassan Skills Development Institute (PQHSDI), the organisation will initially offer free training in different occupations within the beauty industry, according to the organisers.
The institute will be located at Sector 3, Uttara, and is expected to start its activities soon.
The initiative seeks to carry forward the artistic vision, creativity, patriotism and work ethic of Quamrul Hassan, one of the most influential figures in Bangladesh’s art and cultural landscape.
Quamrul Hassan gave Bangladesh’s national flag its present form and was also involved in designing the country’s state emblem and other important national symbols. The institute has been conceived as a way to connect his legacy with efforts to develop the skills and economic potential of a new generation.
The initiative will be led and managed by his only daughter, Sumona Hassan. She is the proprietor of Studio 2000 and Studio Menz and serves as general secretary of the Beauty Service Owners Association of Bangladesh (BSOAB).
In its initial phase, PQHSDI plans to provide free training and related facilities to students interested in building careers in different segments of the beauty industry. The training programmes will seek to make participants job-ready, improve their employment prospects and help them eventually establish businesses of their own.
The institute also plans to bring young people with limited access to skills training under its programmes.
In the longer term, the organisers intend to develop PQHSDI into an integrated institute covering information technology, art and vocational skills development.
By combining technological knowledge, artistic creativity and technical training, the institute aims to prepare young people for evolving labour-market demands and create new opportunities for self-employment. It also plans to provide trainees with guidance and support in developing their own enterprises.
