DHAKA, Aug 2, 2023 (BSS) - Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters 
Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan today underscored the need for 
designing the course curriculum of the universities in Bangladesh in 
alignment with the present and future needs of the industries.

"There is a huge gap between the skills produced by our educational 
institutes and the demand by the industries. The linkage of academia and 
industry is important because our growth depends on our ability to move to 
diversified products which requires complex skills," he said.

Faruque made the remarks while addressing the opening session of Textile 
Talent Hunt (TTH)'s eighth season as the chief guest, said a press release.

Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Bangladesh University of Textiles Professor Dr. Shah 
Alimuzzaman, President of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) 
Mohammad Ali Khokon and President of Institution of Textile Engineers and 
Technologists Eng. Md. Shafiqur Rahman were present as special guests at the 
programme held in the capital today.

The BGMEA President said the linkage has to be drawn by changing the 
conventional way of education where there is a need to integrate more 
practical education.

Textile Talent Hunt, an initiative of Textile Today Innovation Hub, is a 
talent grooming competition for the undergrad students studying in textiles, 
garments, fashion and any discipline. 

The TTH aims to prepare future leaders in the garment and textile industry by 
training, grooming and mentoring to adopt latest developments through 
innovation projects in a modern approach.

Faruque said the fashion industry is undergoing a paradigm shift mostly 
driven by technology and digitization. "Innovations and technologies are 
changing the way we experience fashion, the way of the industry operates and 
also bringing new processes in production to make fashion more sustainable," 
he added.

He said in order to keep pace with the global trend, the industry needs to 
adopt sustainable and innovative business model. "For that, we need capable 
human resources," he remarked.

As the RMG industry of Bangladesh aims to achieve 100 billion dollars export 
target by 2030, Faruque said, "We have to nurture young, creative and 
experienced minds to enable them to take the leadership."

He said the Textile Talent Hunt programme will play an active role to bring 
fresh ideas, embrace technology, address sustainability concerns, and cater 
to evolving consumer needs in the global markets.