CA for preventing certification fraud to protect reputation in global labour market

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today (8 February) directed the authorities concerned to take effective measures to prevent forgery of skill development training certificates and the use of fake certificates to safeguard Bangladesh's reputation in the international labour market.

"There is significant demand for Bangladeshi workers in the global markets, but the reputation of the country's workforce is being undermined due to fraud and forgery related to skills training certificates," he said.

Issuing a warning that if employers lose trust, all skill development initiatives would fail, CA Yunus said, "All these frauds must be stopped". 

The Chief Adviser made the remarks while presiding over a meeting of the Governing Body of the National Skills Development Authority (NSDA) at his office in the city's Tejgaon area, said the Chief Adviser's Press Wing this afternoon.

Stressing on building the country's brand image, he said, "Employers should say that the workers who come from Bangladesh will definitely do well".

Established in 2018, this was the second meeting of the NSDA Governing Body. The first meeting was held in 2022.

Prof Yunus said that the NSDA provided a very strong framework for developing skilled human resources based on the needs of both national and international labour markets.

With growing demand for Bangladeshi workers abroad, he said, the role of the authority will become even more important.

Expressing optimism, the Chief Adviser said the NSDA's initiative to introduce a unified standard certification system across all training institutions would play a crucial role in preventing such fraud.

About the youth, Prof Yunus said, "Our young generation is highly creative and full of potential. Our responsibility is to open doors of opportunity for them". 

In this regard, he emphasised the need for necessary initiatives and coordination so that private entrepreneurs can operate in a more transparent and effective manner.

The meeting reviewed the implementation progress of decisions taken in the previous Governing Body meeting and decided to establish an integrated skills ecosystem.

Under this ecosystem, it will be possible to ensure uniform curricula and standards for training programmes organised by different ministries.

The meeting was informed that, once fully implemented, this system is expected to enhance the quality and credibility of certificates in the international market, reduce wastage of public funds, and facilitate centralized and effective planning and implementation for assessing industrial labour demand and workforce development.

The Governing Body approved the long-term goals of the NSDA to address global challenges following Bangladesh's graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status.

Key components of these long-term plans include conducting skills gap analyses in emerging sectors, bringing all development projects under NSDA curricula and competency standards, aligning the Bangladesh National Qualifications Framework (BNQF) with international benchmarks, and bringing the large workforce from the informal sector under national skills certification through recognition of prior learning.

Among other issues, the meeting discussed the provision of Continuous Discharge Certificates (CDC) to students trained at the Institutes of Marine Technology (IMTs) under the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment.

Shipping and Labour and Employment Adviser Brigadier General (Retd) Dr M Sakhawat Hussain, Industries Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, Chief Adviser's Principal Secretary M Siraz Uddin Miah, NSDA Executive Chairman Dr Nazneen Kawshar Chowdhury, and secretaries of different ministries and other senior officials attended the meeting.