UGC aims to bring internships for all students within five years, chairman Mamun Ahmed says at Gopalganj conference
The University Grants Commission (UGC) aims to introduce internship opportunities for students of all subjects within the next five years to make them ready for the workplace, UGC Chairman Professor Dr Mamun Ahmed has said.
He made the remarks on Thursday (November 12) as chief guest at the first-ever 'Industry-Academia Collaboration Conference-2026' held at Gopalganj University of Science and Technology (GUST).
The UGC chairman said collaborative ties must be built between universities and industry to connect higher education with the demands of the current labour market. There is not enough coordination between university teaching and research and the needs of the workplace, he said, so many students earn degrees without gaining the skills the workplace requires.
To overcome this, he advised inviting industry representatives into classrooms to share their real experience with students. He also stressed that teachers should visit factories and industrial sites to understand the nature of the work and the problems there.
Professor Mamun Ahmed urged industrial firms to identify their own problems and prepare joint research proposals with university teachers and researchers. If such proposals are submitted to the UGC, the commission will arrange funding, he said. In his view, research priorities should be solving the real problems of industry and the country.
He also emphasised developing students' soft skills and expanding internship opportunities to make them workplace-ready. He further mentioned an initiative to create opportunities to learn a third foreign language, beyond Bangla and English, at every public university.
Chaired by the university's Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Md Sohel Hasan, the event was attended as special guests by Islamic University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr A K M Matinur Rahman, Global University Bangladesh Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Anisuzzaman, Khulna's Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Md Anisur Rahman, GUST Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Mohammad Ataur Rahman and Treasurer Professor Dr Md Khasrul Alam.
Eight renowned industrial organisations from different sectors of the country took part in the event, and their representatives exchanged experiences with students. A key attraction of the conference was the opportunity for students to apply for jobs directly; students submitted their CVs to several organisations according to their preference and qualifications.
In the second session, the university's Career Club gave a special presentation on the university's education, research, achievements and prospects. The ACS GSTU Chapter provided overall support to the event.
The conference convener and head of the university's physics department, Professor Dr Md Shahajan, said the conference would play an important role in strengthening effective cooperation between industry and educational institutions and in introducing students to the real world of work. Deans of different faculties, department heads, teachers, students and officials of the university were present.
