It is rather disappointing to learn that Bangladesh is at the bottom of the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2023 among the Central and South Asian countries. The fact that we have ranked dead last for the fourth consecutive time is certainly a matter of concern.
The index, which is built upon six pillars - enabling talent, attracting talent, nurturing talent, retaining talent, providing vocational and technical skills, and fostering global knowledge skills - saw Bangladesh’s progress take a step in the wrong direction, with declines in attracting talent, growing talent, as well as vocational and technical skills.
This paints a disheartening picture of our current workforce; recent reports of our graduates’ inability to be employed, coupled with our ever-present issue of being unable to upskill, corroborate with the findings of this index.
For a nation that harbours the ambitions Bangladesh does, the fact that we are actually failing to attract and nurture talent should serve as a stark reminder that while we see certain economic indicators trending in the right direction, we are certainly not doing right by our future generations.
To that end, it would do well for the authorities concerned to recognize how we have fared over the past four years with regard to nurturing our talent, and take immediate steps to rectify our deteriorating talent pool.
From a recognition of the problem at hand to more emphasis and investment on vocational and technical skills to increasing the capacity of relevant institutions, the time is now to address our shortcomings in this regard. Failure to do so leaves us in an extremely precarious position, where our future leaders will not be equipped to lead the Bangladesh we hope to build.
The index, which is built upon six pillars - enabling talent, attracting talent, nurturing talent, retaining talent, providing vocational and technical skills, and fostering global knowledge skills - saw Bangladesh’s progress take a step in the wrong direction, with declines in attracting talent, growing talent, as well as vocational and technical skills.
This paints a disheartening picture of our current workforce; recent reports of our graduates’ inability to be employed, coupled with our ever-present issue of being unable to upskill, corroborate with the findings of this index.
For a nation that harbours the ambitions Bangladesh does, the fact that we are actually failing to attract and nurture talent should serve as a stark reminder that while we see certain economic indicators trending in the right direction, we are certainly not doing right by our future generations.
To that end, it would do well for the authorities concerned to recognize how we have fared over the past four years with regard to nurturing our talent, and take immediate steps to rectify our deteriorating talent pool.
From a recognition of the problem at hand to more emphasis and investment on vocational and technical skills to increasing the capacity of relevant institutions, the time is now to address our shortcomings in this regard. Failure to do so leaves us in an extremely precarious position, where our future leaders will not be equipped to lead the Bangladesh we hope to build.
