Abstract: The paper examines the necessity of human resource development through technical and vocational education in the country. This study indicates a positive relationship between economic growth and adequate supply of mid–level technical people and that, for that matter, vocational and technical education plays a significant role. The findings of this study have some important implications for policy makers, business managers and researchers in human resource management.
Keywords: Technical and vocational education, Technological development, human resource development, economic growth, mid–level skilled manpower, vocational training institute, technical training centre
Introduction
Bangladesh is a developing country. Efficient manpower is the key to its development. The main malady of its social life is unemployment and here technical education is a useful device by which it can be minimized. To overcome the unemployment problem and also to develop our country industrially, we need educated people with technical education support.
People often think about the importance of general education in the country, but neglect to highlight the importance of technical education for economic development. Analysis of the development process in various countries shows that countries, which put the g emphasis on vocational and technical education, and train a large number of people responsible for making the economy to function, were the most successful in organizing a successful economic strategy. If the initial industrialization strategies of such developed countries as Japan, Germany, Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore are put under in–depth scrutiny, then it will be found that development of vocational and technical institutions provided the base for their development effort. It was the mid–level technicians who brought about technological revolution and initiated a process of sustainable development in those countries.
In addition to developing senior level engineers and well–educated people with MBA‘s, Ph.D.‘s etc, Bangladesh also needs to build up a cadre of mid–level technicians. In the absence of such a cadre, there would be no one to properly look after the active power plants or the factories of the country. There would be no one to repair or to provide small
* Muhammad Mohiuddin is a Professor in the Department of Management Studies, University of
Dhaka, Dhaka–1000. ** Farzana Elahi is a Lecturer in the School of Business, Asian University of Bangladesh. **Masoom Ahmed is an Assistant Professor in the School of Business, Asian University of