45 differently abled get ICT jobs

Some 45 differently abled persons got recruited on the spot yesterday following interviews at the sixth edition of a unique annual fair that aims to give such people a shot at financial independence by showcasing their ICT talent.

Another 445 were shortlisted, a good number of whom will gradually get employed, said Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), the fair’s organiser.

Around 500 registered to attend the event at NGO Affairs Bureau but some 600 turned up, they added.

There were some 37 stalls of ICT companies and non-government organisations, many exhibiting software and hardware differently abled people had developed.

Among the entities were the Bangladesh Association of Call Centre and Outsourcing, the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the Cyber Cafe Owners Association of Bangladesh.

About 120 curricula vitae (CVs) were collected by the business process outsourcing company Genex Infosys, which will start interviewing the candidates from today.

Its co-founder and chief executive officer, Prince Mojumder, said they would hire a good number of people.

“As we are running call centres, differently abled people can do that job. That’s why we have been giving priority to such people since 2013,” he said.

The many skills that people with disabilities can have took Mike Kazi, founder and CEO of Kazi IT and a first-time attendee, by surprise.

Kazi IT got a huge number of CVs and already shortlisted some of them and took their interviews.

“We found qualities that can add value to our company,” he said, adding that their participation at the fair and the employment offers were a part of their corporate social responsibility.

The fair generated jobs for 32 people in its first year, then 60, 115, 176 and 56 in the following years. Inaugurating the daylong event in the morning, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for ICT, said ICT could be the main tool in removing disparity from society.

“2020 will be a great year for the differently abled people from our side as we are organising skill development trainings for them and will develop different products for them like specialised job portal.”

The ICT division is trying to bring differently abled people into the mainstream workforce, he added.

NM Zeaul Alam, secretary to ICT Division; KM Abdus Salam, NGO Affairs Bureau director general; and Parthapratim Deb, BCC executive director, also spoke.