International Standard University Trains Skilled Textile Engineers to Match Industry Demand

Textile engineering sits at the top of the subjects whose graduates are in comparatively high demand in the job market. Demand for textile engineers is growing day by day in factories' technical, buying and merchandising work. Among the universities paying extra attention to the subject is the International Standard University (ISU).

The university was founded by the Standard Group, one of the country's leading garment exporting companies, and began its journey on June 3, 2018. Its vice-chancellor is the educationist Professor Abdul Awal Khan.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Abdul Awal Khan said: 'Getting a job after education is an essential wish of every family. Alongside the government, private initiative is also needed to expand employment. The Standard Group is also creating opportunities to work in its own institutions alongside higher education.'

Students get hands-on learning opportunities at 19 textile industrial establishments of the university's founders. Internships and jobs are also arranged at more than 30 other institutions.

Professor Mohammad Abul Kashem, chairman of the textile engineering department, said the textile industry is the main driving force of the country's economy and that there is no alternative to modern education and research to build skilled manpower. He said the department's curriculum has been designed to match industry demand, with modern laboratories and hands-on learning.

Afsana Akter Mim, a student of the department, said: 'Our department is a wonderful combination of a great study environment, skilled teachers, modern labs and a rich library. Every semester there are visits to renowned textile factories. Eminent people from the industry come to regular seminars and workshops. Hearing their long experience makes us theoretically strong, and we also learn about the current state of the industry and its prospects in Bangladesh.'

The campus is air-conditioned, with CCTV, multimedia projectors in classrooms and Wi-Fi. The library holds many books, e-books and necessary journals. Fourteen types of scholarships and tuition fee waivers are given on the basis of merit, qualification and need. The university says it has ensured a safe campus for female students, and there are separate hostels for male and female students.

The university currently runs eight departments under five faculties: BBA and MBA under business studies; computer science and engineering, textile engineering, and apparel merchandising and management under engineering and technology; BA (Honours) in English, MA in English literature and cultural studies, and LLB (Honours) under humanities and social sciences; and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in artificial intelligence and data science under advanced science and computing.