Dhaka, 28 July 2026: Two members of the Government of Bangladesh – the Hon’ble Minister, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Mr. Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, MP and the Hon’ble State Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Shama Obaed Islam, MP along with H.E. Mr. Mohd Shuhada Othman, High Commissioner of Malaysia to Bangladesh participated in an international seminar on “Creating Pathways for Education, Skills and Employability: A Bangladesh–Malaysia Joint Initiative,” jointly organized by Chittagong Independent University (CIU), HELP University, Malaysia, and UCEP Bangladesh at the Samson H. Chowdhury Centre, Dhaka Club.

Organized with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh, the seminar also brought together senior government officials, diplomats, university leaders, industry experts and policymakers from Bangladesh and Malaysia.

The inaugural session was graced by Ms. Shama Obaed Islam, MP, Hon’ble State Minister for Foreign Affairs, as the Chief Guest. The session commenced with a welcome address by Mr. Syed Mahmudul Huq, Convenor of the Committee on Academia–Industry Partnership and Member of the Board of Trustees of Chittagong Independent University. It also featured remarks by Dr. Md. Abdul Karim, Executive Director of UCEP Bangladesh; Datuk Professor Dr. Paul Chan, Co-Founder and Chancellor of HELP University, Malaysia; and Professor Dr. M. M. Nurul Absar, Vice Chancellor of Chittagong Independent University. The inaugural session was chaired by Mr. Lutfe M Ayub, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Chittagong Independent University.

Two technical sessions brought together eminent policymakers, academics and industry leaders from Bangladesh and Malaysia to examine emerging challenges and opportunities in education, skills development and workforce readiness. The first session, “From Education to Employability: Aligning Learning, Skills and Industry Needs in the Age of AI and Emerging Technologies” was chaired by Mr. Md. Anwar Hossain, Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology, and featured a keynote address by Datuk Professor Dr. Paul Chan, Co-Founder and Chancellor of HELP University, Malaysia, on Preparing Graduates for AI-Driven Industries: Lessons from Malaysia. The panel discussion included Engr. Md. Ruhul Amin, Chairman, Bangladesh Technical Education Board (BTEB), who spoke on Government reforms and implementation of technical education from Class 6; Mr. Mohammed Walid Hossain, Executive Program Director (Additional Secretary), Ministry of Finance, who highlighted on Education and Employability: Government Initiatives and Mr. Mohammed Enayetur Rahman, Founder, CEO and President of ULKASEMI, who discussed Semiconductor, AI/digital economy and future workforce requirements.

The second session, “Human Capital Intelligence, Skills Recognition and Employability,” was chaired by Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam, Secretary (East & West Wing), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and featured a keynote address by Dr. A. S. M. A. Haseeb, Former Dean, Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, BUET, and Former Dean, Innovative Industry and Sustainability Science Research Cluster, University of Malaya, Malaysia on Intelligent National Platform for Human Capital: Scalable Pathway to Workforce Capability Planning for Future. The panel comprised of Datuk Professor Dr. Paul Chan, who shared Malaysia’s experience in APEL-Q, APEL-C, lifelong learning and quality assurance; Professor Dr. Aseef Iqbal, Dean, School of Science and Engineering, Chittagong Independent University, who discussed university transformation for employability; and Mr. Jamil Ahmed, Director General, Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), who highlighted the recognition of migrant workers’ skills and overseas employability. Both sessions concluded with interactive discussions and audience engagement, underscoring the importance of stronger collaboration among academia, industry and government in building a future-ready workforce.

The concluding session was graced by Mr. Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, MP, Hon’ble Minister, Ministry of Finance and Planning, as the Chief Guest. The session featured the presentation of the seminar’s key recommendations and way forward by Mr. Syed Mahmudul Huq, Convenor of the Committee on Academia–Industry Partnership and Member of the Board of Trustees of Chittagong Independent University. Remarks were delivered by Datuk Professor Dr. Paul Chan, Co-Founder and Chancellor of HELP University, Malaysia; Mr. Md. Mokhtar Ahmed, Secretary, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment; Dr. Nazneen Kawshar Chowdhury, Executive Chairman (Secretary), National Skills Development Authority; Professor Dr. Mamun Ahmed, Chairman of the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh; H.E. Mr. Mohd Shuhada Othman, High Commissioner of Malaysia to Bangladesh.

A major highlight of the session was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) among Chittagong Independent University (CIU), HELP University, Malaysia, and UCEP Bangladesh. Under this MoU the parties will collaborate to establish a pilot skills and employability platform; promote the implementation of APEL.Q, APEL.C, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), micro-credentials and modular certification; support skills certification and employability for diverse learner groups; develop industry-linked certification pathways; and explore AI-enabled learning, certification and workforce development platforms, with the long-term goal of developing a scalable model that will contribute to a future National Skills, Recognition and Employability Platform for Bangladesh.  

The session concluded with closing remarks by Mr. Lutfe M Ayub, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Chittagong Independent University.

The day-long seminar provided a high-level platform for dialogue on strengthening partnerships between higher education, industry and government, equipping graduates with future-ready skills, and developing collaborative strategies to address the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence, emerging technologies and the evolving global labor market.