B Mirror Report:  Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today directed authorities to take effective measures to prevent forgery of skill development certificates and the use of fake documents, stressing that Bangladesh’s reputation in the international labour market must be safeguarded.

Speaking at a meeting of the Governing Body of the National Skills Development Authority (NSDA) at his office in Tejgaon, Prof Yunus said, “There is significant demand for Bangladeshi workers globally, but the country’s workforce reputation is being undermined due to fraud and forgery related to skills training certificates.”

Issuing a stern warning, he added that if employers lose trust, all skill development initiatives would fail, emphasizing that “All these frauds must be stopped.”

The Chief Adviser highlighted the importance of building Bangladesh’s brand image, saying, “Employers should say that workers from Bangladesh will definitely do well.”

Established in 2018, this was the second meeting of the NSDA Governing Body, following the first held in 2022. Prof Yunus noted that the NSDA provides a strong framework to develop skilled human resources tailored to both national and international labour market needs.

He expressed optimism that the NSDA’s initiative to introduce a unified standard certification system across all training institutions would play a key role in preventing fraud.

On youth empowerment, Prof Yunus said, “Our young generation is highly creative and full of potential. Our responsibility is to open doors of opportunity for them.” He stressed the need for coordinated initiatives to allow private entrepreneurs to operate more transparently and effectively.

The meeting reviewed progress on previous decisions and approved the establishment of an integrated skills ecosystem to ensure uniform curricula and standards across different ministries’ training programmes.

Officials noted that once fully implemented, this system will enhance the quality and credibility of certificates internationally, reduce public fund wastage, and enable centralized planning to match workforce development with industrial labour demand.

The Governing Body also approved long-term goals to address global challenges following Bangladesh’s graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status, including skills gap analyses in emerging sectors, aligning the Bangladesh National Qualifications Framework (BNQF) with international standards, and bringing informal sector workers under national skills certification through recognition of prior learning.

The meeting discussed Continuous Discharge Certificates (CDC) for students trained at the Institutes of Marine Technology (IMTs) under the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment.

Present at the meeting were Shipping and Labour Adviser Brig. Gen. (Retd) Dr. M Sakhawat Hussain, Industries Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, BIDA Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, Chief Adviser’s Principal Secretary M Siraz Uddin Miah, NSDA Executive Chairman Dr. Nazneen Kawshar Chowdhury, and secretaries of various ministries and senior officials.