NextGen Leaders Job Readiness Summit 2021 held sucessfully

Educate, empower and enlighten the youth of Bangladesh–  in light of this vision CKH Network arranged NextGen Leaders Job Readiness Summit 2021. 

Primary goal of the summit was to alleviate Bangladesh's present youth unemployment problem and easing widespread uncertainty among students by aiding them in developing their skills and confidence, as well as providing them with job-placement opportunities, said a press release. 

"Today's industrialised world values skills, and youth appear to be lacking in this area. Millions of graduates graduate each year only to struggle in the market because the outdated curriculum frequently fails to meet the industry's needs. This is an area we want to primarily focus on through this summit," remarked CKH Network Founder and CEO Coach Kamrul Hasan at a press conference.

The 9-day long summit included 35+ sessions with over 40+ industry experts'advice, insights, and guidance to participants who joined virtually for the first 8 days of the summit. Each day concentrated on a specific industry, divided into 3 sessions per day.

The summit began on 1 December, with the Finance and Accounts Industry serving as the day's focus. It gave the participants a detailed overview of the present state of the sector, how it has grown, the different career opportunities, technologies we need to be aware of and how to prepare for them.

"Today's finance and accounting professionals must have a solid foundation in this area and devote more time to learning about the new technologies that are being introduced and will be introduced in this business," said Unilever Chairman Unilever Consumer Care Ltd Chairman Masud Khan while speaking of the evolution of this industry.

The third session was dedicated to the country's present and aspiring Chartered Accountants. The speakers provided attendees with a practical perspective on the knowledge, abilities, and dedication required to flourish as a CA, as well as what lies ahead for them.

Day 2 focused on the Supply Chain and Logistics Industry. This day featured industry experts from both home and abroad, all the way from Japan, the UK and Malaysia. The sessions were devoted to the intricacies of the supply chain sector, debunking the misconception that supply chain is primarily concerned with delivery, how it has evolved greatly in the aftermath of the pandemic, and how candidates should prepare for it.

The first session discussed supply chain technologies and what role it is playing today in transforming the supply chain process. The second session addressed the current state of the supply chain industry in Bangladesh.

Finally, the third session discussed the various academic needs and skill sets required to thrive in the supply chain industry. The speakers during this session gave the participants a contrast between Bangladesh and abroad from an academic and skill-level perspective regarding supply chain, the press release added. 

Day 3 was a diverse mix of discussion sessions, with the first designed to aid students who wish to study and pursue a career abroad, particularly in Australia, which is the number one destination for international students according to a study. The speakers for the session were the Principal of South Sydney College and Head of Marketing of the same institution, who shared about the different opportunities regarding scholarship and employment for international students in Australia. This session was powered by Quest Educare, who are also the platinum partners of this event.

The second session of the day focused on educating attendees about the competencies and abilities that today's candidates must possess in order to thrive in their careers. This discussion was mainly based on the teachings imparted by the authors of the book "Competency Framework" who were also the speakers for the session.

The final session focused on people's mindsets and how shifting mindsets may help people grow and prosper in both their personal and professional life.

The Advertising and Branding Industry has always been critical to the success of a business, but its relevance in today's digital age, especially after the pandemic, is unparalleled. This industry was the focus of the summit's fourth day. The first session focused on the Digital Marketing and Branding Industry with the speakers sharing their experiences and insights about how the changing consumer behavior and priorities have brought about a transformation in this industry. They also emphasised on the importance of having a complete understanding of the different marketing tools that have been introduced in this industry to thrive as a successful marketer.

"One of the best ways that students can start practicing the art of branding is by learning to brand themselves through creating their website, sharing their own content and analysing the performance of their website to understand how the entire process works. Self-learning can be rewarding." said Daraz Chief Marketing Officer Tajdin Hassan during the session on Digital Marketing and Branding Industry.

The second session discussed the evolving skill sets in the market as a result of digital and technological advancements in industries, as well as how candidates could develop themselves accordingly. The speaker also spoke about the importance of good brand communication as a Marketer.

The third session for the 4th day was a special one, arranged for those who want to develop their career as an Accountant not only on a local but also on a global scale. On this day we had speakers joining us from both home and abroad, who are successful Professional Chartered Accountants, discussing the local and global prospects for globally certified accountants, like ACCA and how these professionals should map out their career path.

The summit's fifth day was focused on Entrepreneurship. This day aimed to encourage the nation's aspiring entrepreneurs by providing them with information on how to transform their ideas into businesses, how to incubate them, the challenges and opportunities than an entrepreneur can face and what mindset is required to succeed as an entrepreneur.

RMG and Textiles was the industry of focus on Day. This day shed light on the career opportunities, where the country stands in terms of its 50 billion target, how can the youth groom themselves so that they can contribute to reducing the expenses this sector incurs by employing different expats. It also discussed how empathy, attitude and acceptability can tremendously help in building a great career in this sector. The third session especially focused on the Apparel Industry and how this could be the next career destination for youth today, how local brands are performing to the global brands and what opportunities could this present for anyone who is considering a career in this industry.

The Sales and Distribution Industry was covered on Day 7. Two comprehensive sessions were organised to discuss the significance of Relationship Management and the Career Prospects in Sales. The first session talked about how someone can develop their business and how to manage relationships with clients and customers to generate sales. The second session was on sales career prospects in the Bank and Financial Industry.

On the concluding day of the Virtual Summit, the industry in focus was Healthcare and Pharmaceutical industry. The first session of the day was a dedicated discussion on the Public Health Sector of Bangladesh. This session highlighted how Bangladesh needs to work to modernize the healthcare industry, what career options do healthcare professionals have in Public Health and what other opportunities could the nation expect in this sector in the future.

The final two sessions discussed the opportunities for freshers in the pharma industry and how the youth can make themselves job-ready for a career in that industry. The speakers discussed how starting a career in the pharmaceutical industry, with an attractive remuneration, can be easier in comparison to the others given the candidate has the right qualifications. They also discussed those necessary prerequisites and how professionals in this industry stand on a global scale.

The summit ended on 9 December with a special event called ICT for Digital Bangladesh and Job Fair, held at the United International University campus.  The event consisted of two sessions: the first was a seminar on ICT for Digital Bangladesh, and the second was a career development session for the job seekers who attended the fair.

Both sessions featured many noteworthy speakers, including, UIU Prof Dr Chowdhury Mofizur Rahman, as the chief guest, and BASIS President Syed Almas Kabir as the keynote speaker.

The event was participated by thousands of job seekers from all over Bangladesh. Over 36 renowned companies with 500 vacancies participated at the job fair. The entire summit was organised with Bangladesh Finance as the title sponsor and in association with Nestle, Nescafe, Milo, Maggi, SSG and the Business Standard.