By Md Aynal Haque

RAJSHAHI, Aug 14, 2023 (BSS) - Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Hi-tech Park has opened up new doors of generating time-fitting skilled workforce coupled with employment in the region.

It has also been showing dreams to the young generation on how to turn their lives into prosperous ones through uplifting technologies driving out their uncertainty.

As a whole, the park has started playing a pioneering role towards technology-based employment for scores of educated and half-educated youths. Ultimately, it will become the lighthouse of turning the Rajshahi educational city into a work-friendly one that will benefit people enormously.

Construction works of the Hi-tech Park along the eye-catching and mind-blowing bank of the mighty river Padma in Rajshahi is on the final touch.
 
Aimed at establishing knowledge-based industries through ensuring area wise development the park has been established on 31 acres of land at Nabinagar area adjacent to the city with a cost of around Taka 335.51 crore.
 
As a whole, it is intended to generate employment opportunities for 14,000 males and females ultimately.

Around 90 percent implementation works of the "Establishment of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Hi-Tech Park" project has so far been completed on an average.
 
Director of the project Engineer Fazlul Haque said there are two portions--Sheikh Kamal IT Training and Incubation Building and Sajeeb Wazed Joy Silicon Tower-- in the park.
 
The construction of the "Sheikh Kamal IT Training and Incubation Center" was completed around three years back while another portion "Sajeeb Wazed Joy Silicon Tower" is now at the final stage.
 
The infrastructure development works include land development, a 10-storey silicon tower in the area of 2.70 lakh square feet, a substation building, internal roads and drains, boundary wall and high-speed internet.
 
The 62,000 square-feet IT Incubation centre with an energy-efficient state of the art office building has multipurpose training facilities, high-quality start-ups, rainwater harvesting and renewable energy sources.

Already, more than 300 workforces were made through eight companies in Sheikh Kamal Training and Incubation Centre directly or indirectly for the last couple of years.
 
Eradicating their curses of unemployment, the competent workforces are now engaged in online markets successfully. They are also working as technicians of generating skilled manpower.

Apart from this, 15 companies were given spaces in the Joy Silicon Tower where scores of other youths are working. Every day, the area of employment is vibrating.
 
A IT farm named 'Fleet Bangladesh' has been working in the park setting a target of generating employment for 1,000 youths. In addition to work with internationally reputed Wal-Mart and Amazon, the IT farm is providing its own subscription-based software.

Entrepreneur of the farm Khairul Alam said the youths were given appointment permanently after assessing their performance during the contractual period.
 
Another farm 'Arodex IT' is working with some international IT institutions, including Google, side by side with generating efficient workforces through training. 

Owner of the venture Sultan Muhammad Ansary said there are enormous potentialities in the field of employment in the IT sector as there is shortage of skilled workforce in this sector in Rajshahi. He, however, attributed that the hi-tech park has become a blessing in this sector.

Sohel Rana, Founder of DM Solution, has been generating skilled manpower after getting space allocation at the hi-tech park and his workers are vibrating the international freelancing markets.

He said around 20 competent workforces are working at his farm permanently.

Afroza Arbi Tusi, who is working in Fleet Bangladesh, said she has got chances of developing her career living in Rajshahi with her family members.
 
"I was very much anxious about developing my career during university life and always thought about going to Dhaka for career development," she said while talking to BSS here.
 
She added that Bangabandhu Hi-tech Park has become a blessing for her as it has created scopes of building careers for many youths interested in the IT sector.

Focal Point Officer of the park Mahfuzul Kabir said they are inspiring the IT entrepreneurs besides generating new entrepreneurs. Regularly, they are bringing new courses and their promotional activities are getting positive responses enormously.

He also said they remained active towards generating skilled manpower through multidimensional training.