Empower

Welcome to the March 2020 issue of Empower, a periodic newsletter of the IsDB-BISEW IT Scholarship Programme. This edition includes the following topics of note:

• New courses in the IT Scholarship Programme for polytechnic diploma holders
• My Experience in the IT Scholarship Project – Arts Graduate Becomes an IT Professional
• Employers Skills Needs Survey

New courses in the IT Scholarship Programme for polytechnic diploma holders

Three new courses have been launched in the IT Scholarship Programme in Round-45. These courses are specifically tailored for polytechnic diploma holders with select background. These courses have met with tremendous response from the applicants.

     My experience in the IT Scholarship Project

     The IT Scholarship Programme helped Md. Monzurul Haque convert himself into a software developer even though his formal  study background was Islamic Studies. Check out his story. 

Employers Skills Needs Survey

Provisional results of the recently concluded Employers Skills Needs Survey are in. Take a look.

New Courses in the IT Scholarship Programme for Polytechnic Diploma Holders

IsDB-BISEW recently launched three new courses under the IT Scholarship Programme. The courses were introduced specially for the graduates of four-year polytechnic diploma holders coming from the following backgrounds:

1. Computer Science/Computer Technology
2. Electronic Engineering
3. Telecommunication Engineering

A brief description of the new courses are given below:

Course: 3D Visualization

The term 3D visualization is used synonymously with 3D graphics, 3D rendering, computer generated imagery (CGI), and other terms. They all basically refer to the process by which graphical content is created using 3D software. It’s a technology that has become mainstream over the last few decades and has evolved into one of the most viable options for producing high-quality digital content.

The 3D Visualization course included in the IT Scholarship Programme is of 468 hours duration. It consists of both class lectures and hands-on practice and would take approximately six months to complete.

Course Content

Skills Taught

After successfully completing the course, the trainees shall learn the following skills:

• How to edit and retouch images
• Create 3D animations
• Create motion graphics
• Create and implement 3D modelling
• Perform graphics design
• Perform video editing/production
• Implement cloth simulation
• Design logo with branding
• Perform product modelling

Areas of Employment

1. Graphics design and development firms
2. Companies specializing in 3D visualization
3. Ad firms
4. Film/drama production
5. Architecture firms

Course: Professional Web Application Development.

This course prepares the trainees to undertake a career as a full-stack web developer using the latest open-source tools and technologies.

Course Content

Skills Taught

Upon successfully completing the course, the trainees shall learn the following skills:

• Creating web pages with HTML, designing with Bootstrap and interactivity with JavaScript
• Designing and creating web applications with PHP and MySQL database
• Designing and implementing web applications with the popular jQuery library
• Creating dynamic websites with WordPress, designing customized templates/themes
• Creating professional grade web application using the Laravel framework using the principle of model-view-controller (MVC) architectural pattern

Areas of Employment

1. Developer/Programmer in software development companies
2. Full-stack developer in any organization
3. Freelance developer
4. Testing engineer
5.  

Course: Network System Administration

Today’s organizations demand advanced, secure information sharing technology. Get the training you need to be a skilled network systems administrator. You’ll learn how to install, troubleshoot and maintain network operating systems – from a single server to a complex variety of servers. The hands-on training in this course also includes system administration, network security and routing.

Course Content

Skills Taught

After successfully completing the course, the trainees shall learn the following skills:

• Network troubleshooting
• System/Network administration
• Small to medium-sized network management
• System backup and network security
• Internet bandwidth management
• Basic concepts of ethical hacking

Areas of Employment

1. Internet Service Providers (ISP)
2. Telecommunication companies
3. System integration companies
4. National/Multinational companies having networks
5. Software firms
6. Banks

My experience in the IT Scholarship Project

      Name: Md. Monzurul Haque

     Trainee ID: 1118421

      Round: 11

     Course: Web-presence Solutions & Implementations (WPSI)

     Position: Team Leader

     Employer: Logic Software Ltd.

Arts Graduate Becomes an IT Professional

Md. Monzurul Haque wanted to study in the field of science but was forced to study Islamic Studies because educational expenses were relatively lower for studying such a subject. His father was a farmer and struggled to bear the expenditure of his eight member family. Monzurul knew it would not be easy to get a job after graduating from Islamic Studies under the National University. In such uncertain circumstances, the IsDB-BISEW IT Scholarship intake advertisement caught his eyes and gave him some hope.

Monzurul applied for the IT Scholarship but failed to get through the screening tests the first time. Learning from his mistakes, he tried again and succeeded He was very devoted to his studies in the scholarship programme and completed his course on dull-stack web application development successfully in 2011. Even before completing his course, he got a job as a Junior Software Engineer in Logic Software Ltd after competing with over fifty Computer Science graduates. Based on his performance, he was promoted to the position of Senior Software Engineer and is now working as the Team Leader at the same company. He draws a handsome six-figure salary per month.

Monzurul is proud to be an IT professional having an educational background in Arts. He believes that the IsDB-BISEW IT Scholarship programme made it possible for him to achieve a professional career with unlimited growth opportunities. Strict rules, proper monitoring, and industry oriented course content helped him and many others to convert from Arts and Commerce background to a full-fledged IT professional.

Employers Skills Needs Survey

A survey on the IT skills needs of employers in Bangladesh  has recently been completed by the consulting firm Show & Tell Consulting Ltd for the IsDB-BISEW IT Scholarship Programme. It comprised of a survey based study of fifty-eight employers, chosen through stratified random sampling across the ICT industry and other organizations having separate ICT departments. Its main findings includes information on:

• Employers’ needs for ICT skills over a range of technology areas;
• Human resource and recruitment and practices of employers;
• Required additions/modifications in the curriculum of courses included in the IT Scholarship Programme;

As its name suggests, the study focused on professional level ICT skills rather than generic computer skills. This is an important measure because it relates to skills being imparted to the trainees of the IsDB-BISEW ICT Scholarship Programme. It is vital that the ICT Scholarship Project produces skills and competencies that are in demand among the employers in our country as well as in the international job markets.

A snap-shot of the skills in demand among the employers as inferred from the Skills Study is shown below for the group Software Development and Services: