The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

Information Technology (IT) experts, mostly serving with the Microsoft, the largest software company of the USA, at a seminar in the city yesterday said Bangladesh has immense potentiality to supply excellent IT graduates to the company.

'Microsoft are looking for talents around the world for its 13,413 opening where Bangladeshi IT experts can prove their capability and potentiality", they said at the Microsoft Career seminar at the LGED auditorium at Agargaon.

The seminar was organised by the Microsoft Bangladesh Ltd in association with the BRAC University. Eleven Bangladeshi IT experts working with the Microsoft in the USA attended the seminar.

Vice-Chancellor of BRAC University Professor Jamilur Reza Chowdhury inaugurated the seminar as the chief guest while associate professor of department of computer science and engineering of the university Dr Mumit Khan and country director of Microsoft Bangladesh Firoz Mahmud spoke.

Five Bangladeshi Microsoft employees, Ruhul Chowdhury, Mir Layek Ali, Tazin Shadid Anik, Sharmin Banu and Sohel Islam made presentation on various carrier aspects and working environment of Microsoft at the seminar.

Jamilur Reza said the country's IT graduates have to show their potentiality in such a manner that would encourage the Microsoft to set up a software development company in our country like what they have done in India," he said.

BRAC VC said the Bangla version of windows operating system, developing jointly by BRAC University and Microsoft, are now undergoing the test phase, which is expected to be in user phase by the next year.

Ruhul said the IT graduates are losing opportunity to get in the Microsoft for lack of communication and confidence and most of them even are not aware that Microsoft recruits graduates directly from abroad.

"Presently, nearly 100 Bangladeshis are working with the Microsoft, of them only three recruited directly from here, while more than 5000 Indians and 1000 Pakistanis serving with the company," he said.

Anik said Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) Bangladesh, the Bangladeshi Microsoft employees platform in the USA would like to facilitate Bangladeshi graduates by submitting their resume in Microsoft as they could join there.

"This is our first step, this time we will collect only resume," he said adding, "if after today's event we could show the Microsoft authorities that our IT graduates got the potentiality, we will be returned soon to recruit them directly'.

He said the Microsoft also creates opportunity for its staff to carry out non-profitable welfare programme by contributing 50 percent of the project cost.

"We could also help our poor community through this kind of programme where Microsoft is committed to contributing US $ 12,000 annually for its every employee," he said.

IT experts, university teachers and nearly 300 IT graduates and prospective graduates participated in the seminar.