BNP Standing Committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan on Saturday underscored the importance of transforming country’s educated youth into a productive and skilled workforce, saying that no development plan can succeed without people’s active involvement.

“Practical steps must be taken to prepare the educated population for productive employment. BNP has outlined a plan to provide technical and vocational education to one million young people and engage them in meaningful work,” he said.

Dr Moyeen Khan made the remarks while speaking at a seminar titled “Education Reform for National Development”, organised by Education Reform Initiative (ERI) at Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) auditorium in Dhaka.

He noted that 52 percent of the country’s population is young, which gives the country a demographic advantage.

“BNP will take all necessary measures to turn this young generation into a productive national resource,” he added.

ERI President and former State Minister for Education Dr ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon presented the keynote paper, highlighting alarming trends in youth employment.

Dr Milon said that although 20 percent of Bangladesh’s youths are university graduates, only 16.8 percent have jobs, citing findings from a University Grants Commission (UGC) survey. He added that around one million young people enter the job market each year, but less than half manage to find employment.

Referring to Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) data, Dr Milon noted that most Bangladeshis seeking jobs abroad are unskilled and thus end up in low-paid, low-quality positions.

“Sustainable national development is not possible without a skilled population,” he said.

Citing global examples, Dr Milon said 60 percent of students in Germany receive vocational education and directly enter the job market, while Malaysia trains two million youths annually through technical programs. Under Singapore’s SkillsFuture initiative, citizens of all ages receive digital training aligned with industry needs. Vietnam, he added, has successfully linked education with manufacturing, bringing its unemployment rate below 7 percent.

Dr Milon emphasised that Bangladesh still lags behind in technical and vocational education, but said the BNP is committed to expanding and modernising the sector to meet contemporary global standards.