Microsoft Partners with BRAC to Launch Skills Development Project in Bangladesh

BRAC, a global leader in developing cost-effective, evidence-based programs, in partnership with IT giant Microsoft, on Thursday launched a pilot project to impart quality training in graphics design, electrical installation, and maintenance. The project began its operations through an informal event at the BRAC Institute of Skills Development in Dhaka city.

 

BRAC Skills Development Programme will implement the pilot project with support from the India Microsoft Community Training team, the officials said. Youths between 16 and 30 years will be able to enrol for the training. This training will particularly benefit students, IT instructors, administrators, and managerial staff. The organizers further added that post completion of this pilot, more projects will be undertaken after making necessary amendments from the learnings of the pilot.

 

Microsoft Community Training is an Azure-powered online learning platform that enables organizations to run community training programmes. The platform supports personalized learning for a large-scale mobile-based community. It is affordable, easy to manage, provides robust security, and privacy protection. Its present customer base spans across 14 countries.

 

BRAC Skill Development Programme’s director Aftab Uddin Ahmad, said that BRAC’s collaboration with Microsoft will enhance an easy-accessible platform for the young population of Bangladesh. This strong management system will catalyse the process of making skilled workers.

 

Anil Bhansali, Corporate Vice President, Cloud & AI Platform, Microsoft, said that Microsoft Community Training leverages Microsoft’s core platform assets and components, such as Azure Media Services, to assist content providers and training partners deliver high-definition video and training as a service on Azure. This partnership with BRAC is a great development towards reducing unemployment by skilling the youth of today through relevant trainings and making them employable, he said. 

A third of Bangladesh’s population is 10-24 years old and 2.2 million young people are entering the workforce every year. Business leaders often complain that skilled workers are scarce, while approximately 10 million young people are currently unemployed or underemployed. To help the nation tackle this big challenge, BRAC began its Skills Development Programme several years ago to produce manpower with quality employable skills. It established the BRAC Skills Development Institute that imparts skills training to youths in several trades. It also helps them find job placements post-training.

 

This training programme will enhance the learning experience and on the job productivity through technology-driven gamified course curriculum, digital course materials, and easy to access assessments.