Batch 2 of GP Explorers graduates with a promise to unlock the digital future

The batch 2 of "GP Explorers" graduated from Grameenphone's in-house skill academy at a recently held virtual graduation event.

Posts and Telecommunications Division Minister Mustafa Jabbar was present at the event as the chief guest, said a press release. 

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Vice Chairman Subrata Roy Maitra, Grameenphone (GP) CEO Yasir Azman and GP Acting Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Hossain Sadat were present as special guests at the event.

With more than 40% females with a STEM background in the cohort, the pool has been upskilled to become future-ready professionals. GP Explorers is a one-of-a-kind, industry-led digital skills academy to digitally upskill and empower university students with soft and digital skills bridging the gap between their future careers and required competencies to unlock the possibilities of youth. More than 1600 applications had been received from 64 universities, among which 357 students were selected. The platform consists of a 20 week-long upskilling program focusing on communication proficiency, entrepreneurship mindset and digital skills that complement the knowledge students receive from academia, the press release added.

It is a crowdsourced learning model with custom content, assignments and expert sessions from industry professionals, vital for future-readiness.

 39 students received the certificate on digital marketing, 135 for entrepreneurial mindset and 245 for professional communication. Besides the regular programme, explorers got the opportunity to interact with top leaders through Masterclasses, a small step in democratizing skills acquisition using the power of connectivity. Explorers engaged with industry experts like Sudipto Mukerjee, resident representative, UNDP; Dr Rubana Huq, ex-president, BGMEA; Ridwan Kabir, vice president, AT&T; and Zaved Akhtar, CEO and MD, Unilever Bangladesh.

"The goal of any business entity is to do business or to make profit. Apart from this, they have some responsibility towards the society, the state, and the people. Grameenphone is fulfilling this promise through GP Explorers by upskilling the youth through future-fit skills and taking steps towards our ambition of a Digital Bangladesh. I think the knowledge gained from GP Explorers will serve as a great foundation for their lives. These valuable lessons must be made available for all, especially for the marginalized community to benefit from digitization. I would like to congratulate the graduates and thank Grameenphone for involving me in their various initiatives,"  Mustafa Jabbar said. 

Speaking on the occasion, BTRC Vice-Chairman Subrata Roy Maitra said: "There is a difference between education and training. You can do well academically, but you need to develop yourself and acquire skills simultaneously to be future-ready. Grameenphone, with its GP Explorers 2.0, has been able to develop the participants in the right way, and the program has been able to keep pace with the international arena. I urge Grameenphone to take notice of the need to connect people across the country, especially the peripheral communities, with the digital world and digital platforms. And those who have completed graduation today are very lucky. I wish them incessant vitality and life force."

"To accelerate digitalisation and leverage the 4IR opportunities it is essential to harness the power of connectivity and digital innovations. Simultaneously to achieve our vision of becoming a self-sustained and knowledge-based economy, enabling youth with future-fit skills is key to sustainable growth of future Bangladesh. We believe our efforts will help youth to devise how they prepare themselves to unlock new opportunities, ensure expertise among our future leaders and contribute to the development of the digital eco-system in Bangladesh. We are glad to complete the latest GP Explorers program, despite the Covid-19 barrier. This was possible mainly because of the resilience and indomitable spirit that our participants have shown since day one. I am sure that they will stand out as professionals in the industry very soon, bringing excellence to their organizations as well as their portfolio," GP CEO Yasir Azman. 

 Grameenphone delivered the programme through a content partnership with Wadhwani Foundation and Bahubrihi. Forty-nine videos have been developed from the Zoom session taken by Senior management of Grameenphone, which are available in the learn section of MyGP – https://mygp.li/le and Grameenphone Explorers YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/GPExplorers/featured) for mass consumption.