The National Skills Development Authority (NSDA) under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) will be formulating a national action plan for skill development in the country. For this, it has appointed PwC Bangladesh under an agreement signed at the NSDA office on Wednesday.

In the presence of Md Faruque Hossain, executive chairman of NSDA, the agreement was signed between Pijush Kanti Nath, member (admin & finance), NSDA, and Mamun Rashid, managing partner, PwC Bangladesh. PwC will work with NSDA to formulate the plan to carry out skill development as well as up-skilling and re-skilling in the country. The action plan will act as a framework for the government to achieve its target of developing 15 million skilled workers by 2023.

Md Faruque Hossain of NSDA explained: "A skilled and industry-ready workforce will play a pivotal role in the overall economic development of Bangladesh. With the ever-evolving business ecosystem and global megatrends shaping the world of work today, we are committed to enabling our youths with necessary skills sets."

"NSDA coordinates, facilitates, monitors, and certifies the skills of trained persons in junior, mid and managerial levels, which will be covered in the action plan,” he said. As part of the engagement, PwC will work with NSDA to collaborate with 23 different ministries, private sector providers, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that are working in the field of skill development. It will also review the existing skill development framework, conduct workshops, engage via focused group discussions, and develop a strategic roadmap for the country’s skill development initiatives.