It Is unique indeed for an institution to oiler jobs to students even before they complete their education But this is exactly what the BGMEA Institute <>f Fashion and Technology iBIFT) is awarding its debuting batch ol 163 students

Vt have already provided jobs io all the 163 students of our first batch who will get their course completion certificates later this month, said M Harun Rashid. Chairman of (he Institute. adding' Not only (hat. employment of the successful students studying in different BIFT disciplines is almost certain for (he next two years '

BITF was set up in January this year with a view to churning out RMG industry-specific qualified manpower who would add value to the country's apparels. The institute will, however. be formally inaugurated on October 29 by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. It will also

be a red-letter day lor the 163 students who will receive < ci (Ifkaies along with their appointment letters

Industries Minister Tolad Ahmed. Commerce Minister Abdul Jalil and Vice-Chancellor ol Dhaka University A K Azad Chowdhury will be the special guests at the function.

The first BIFT batch got six months’ (raining in varied areas like merchandising. quality control and mid-level management and they are going Io get jobs with salaries ranging from Ik 4.000 to Tk 20.000 per month, said an official of the Institute.

The demand for trained people in merchandising is ven high and the garment owners are ready to pay them a starting salary of Tk 7.000 per month, he said.

Referring to a recent BUT survey on the job environment in the RMG sector. Harun Rashid said as many as 1000

ic< initial persons are urgently needed In 300 garment factories in the county.

Another 90 students who arc doing three-year honours course In garment manufacturing technology, pattern cutting and design will also get immediate jobs because of high demand in the respective ar cas." said Harun Rashid who is also the managing director ol East West Industrial Park.

I Ie said many foreign technicians get around Tk 50.000 per month as salary only because they have formal education in the subjects.

Harun said (here is no alter-native io developing hum.in resource to survive in a quota-tree regime and lashion institutes are insti umental in achieving this.

He said there are six fashion institutes in Sri Lanka although it exports almost half of what Bangladesh RMG sector does.