BUTEX, affiliated colleges to raise number of seats

The Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTEX) and its four affiliated textile engineering colleges are going to raise the number of seats by around 300 to meet the increasing demand for textiles graduates for the country's ever-growing apparel and textile sector, officials said.
The BUTEX is also known as Textile Engineering University is the first-ever and lone public university in Bangladesh and South Asia specialising in textile engineering. The university meets the need for advanced textile engineering and technology education in Bangladesh and the world. Four affiliated textiles colleges of the university are Begumganj Textile Engineering College, Pabna Textile Engineering College, Shahid Abdur Rab Serniabat Textile Engineering College and Textile Engineering College, Zorarganj, Chittagong.
When contacted, registrar of the university Monirul Islam said every year the university takes 470 students under five faculties and 12 departments and affiliated textile engineering colleges take 100 students each.  As the number of textile graduate is scarce that's why the university is going to increase the number of seats from 470 to 600.
"Along side with the BUTEX we are also planning to increase the number of seats in our four affiliated institutions. Though last year all of our affiliated institutions increased the number of seats from 80 to 100 but we are also planning to add 30 to 50 seats more in all of the textile colleges," he added.
Vice Chancellor of BUTEX Prof Engineer Masud Ahmed told the FE that there is big demand for the textile graduates in both domestic and international markets. Every year around 400 students from BUTEX and around 300 students from its affiliated institutions enter the job market. But, according to the requirement of the country's rapidly growing apparel and textile sector, the number of textile graduate is not sufficient at all.
"The shortage also can be understood as our students need not wait for jobs after completing their education. Even before completion of graduation most of the students get jobs and sometimes, according to the requisitions of various organisations, we cannot provide required number of students. To meet the growing needs of both domestic and international markets it is important to create more qualified textile engineers and for this reason we are going to increase the number of seats," Mr. Ahmed added.
When contacted, Monaim Hasan, who recently completed his graduation from Department of Wet Process Engineering (WPE) from the university, told the FE that before completing the graduation, he along with most of his friends received  job offer from different apparel and textile companies.
"We need not to be concerned about jobs. If some students don't get the job offer before the completion of graduation they surely get the offer at the time of their industrial attachments", Monaim added.
Shailen Saha, a graduate of Begumganj Textile Engineering College and now working for Astrotex Ltd, said there are substantial demands for experienced textile engineers in the country.
"After completing graduation in 2013 I joined a textile company in Narayanganj and after working for two to three years in a number of textile companies joined this company on March 1 this year. In Astrotex Ltd I also observe the crying need for the qualified textile engineers," Shailen added.     [email protected]