Bangladesh Boosts Semiconductor Skills with SICIP Partnership

The Bangladesh Semiconductor Industry Association (BSIA) today signed an agreement with the Skills for Industry Competitiveness and Innovation Program (SICIP) at the SICIP office in Dhaka. The initiative aims to implement a large-scale skilled workforce development program for the semiconductor industry.

On February 17, Tuesday, the agreement was signed on behalf of the respective organizations by SICIP Executive Project Director Mohammad Walid Hossain and BSIA President M A Jabbar.

Under the agreement, a total of 3,500 graduates from relevant fields, including EEE, ECE, CSE, and Applied Physics, will receive training across six specialized courses. The courses include: IC Design & Layout Engineering, Advanced Physical Design Program: RTL to GDSII, DFT and Verification Engineering Program for ASIC Designers, Applied Semiconductor Systems: Power Devices and Industrial Integration, Smart Systems Engineering: Embedded Design and Semiconductor Application Interfaces, and Packaging and Testing.

Each course will last three months (240 hours). The total program cost is set at BDT 35.14 crore, with implementation scheduled from February 2026 to December 2028.

Speaking at the event, SICIP Executive Project Director Mohammad Walid Hossain emphasized ensuring high-quality training, effective and robust monitoring systems, and employment for at least 65% of trained participants in accordance with program targets. He expressed optimism that the partnership with BSIA, through proper oversight and strong industry linkage, will create skilled professionals capable of contributing significantly to Bangladesh’s growing semiconductor ecosystem while remaining competitive in the global market.

BSIA President M A Jabbar thanked SICIP and highlighted the commendable contributions of officials from both organizations in implementing the initiative. He described the agreement as a key milestone for Bangladesh’s semiconductor sector, supporting the development of skilled human resources necessary for accelerating growth in advanced electronics and semiconductor services, strengthening industry readiness, and enhancing Bangladesh’s competitive position in the global semiconductor value chain.

Also present at the event were senior officials including Mahfuzul Alam Khan, Additional Secretary & DEPD (Program Management); Monjur Alam Pradhan, Joint Secretary & DEPD (Program Management); Amina Fahmin, Joint Secretary & DEPD (Program Management); Moinul Hasan, DEPD (Fund Management); Mohammad Afzal Hossain, EEPD (Program Management), Deputy Secretary and SICIP focal point for BSIA, along with other senior officials.

From BSIA, attendees included Senior Vice President M E Chowdhury Shamim, Director Munir Ahmed, and Secretary Hashim Ahmed.

The SICIP program is implemented under the Finance Division of the Ministry of Finance and is funded jointly by the Government of Bangladesh and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

DBTech/HA/IK/OR