"> Participants at a roundtable on " Tackling graduate unemployment: the need for University - Industry Cooperation" organised by Brac University and Prothom-alojobs at The Daily Star Centre yesterday. Photo: Star 

Modernising university curricula in consultation with industrial firms is a must to produce graduates equipped with relevant job skills, leading entrepreneurs said yesterday.
Speaking on how to tackle graduate unemployment, the business leaders and top managers of different universities agreed to launch a platform to do the coordination.
Demand is soaring for skilled human resources in the country's booming information technology, telecommunication, shipbuilding, pharmaceutical, readymade garment, construction industries, and cultural field, said Khan Ahmed Kumar Murshid, adviser at the career services office, Brac University. So, universities have to arm graduates with required skills, he said.
Addressing a discussion, organised by Brac University and Prothom-alojobs in association with The Daily Star, at the capital's The Daily Star Centre, Murshid said there was little information about how many graduates got employed from over half a million who passed out annually.
Editor and Publisher of The Daily Star Mahfuz Anam said the industrial firms were looking for skilled graduates but the universities were not yet in tune with their requirements.
While on the one hand many unskilled graduates run after a few jobs, many employers look for a few skilled graduates, he said, describing the imbalance in the demand and supply scenario.
Talent development, mentoring and leadership training can be carried out through collaboration between universities and industrial firms, said CEO of Grow n Excel M Zulfiquar Hussain.
Reazuddin Al Mamoon, managing director of Epyllion Group, said producing such graduates was stuck in dirty politics, nepotism and tender business at public universities.
An acute crisis of employment and competent professionals is imminent unless these two are harmonised, viewed Humaira Sharmeen, head of operation of Prothom-alojobs.
However, introducing changes to university curricula is a mammoth task due to bureaucratic constraints, said Ishfaq Ilahi Choudhury, registrar of Brac University.
Rokia Afzal Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Federation of Women Entrepreneur, said lack of English proficiency was a major incompetence of most job-seeking graduates.
She offered herself to facilitate bringing all leading business federations together for collaboration between universities and industrial organisations.
Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman, East West University Vice Chancellor Prof Ahmed Shafee, and Managing Director of Persona Kaniz Almas spoke on the occasion, while The Daily Star Managing Editor Salehuddin Ahmed moderated the event.