BRUR Correspondent: Students need to acquire practical skills rather than relying solely on academic degrees and results to keep pace with the demands of the global market and industrial sector, said Professor Dr Md Showkat Ali, Vice-Chancellor of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR). He made the remarks while inaugurating a ‘Micro-Credential Course’ under the Digital Skills to Succeed (DS2S) project at the university cafeteria on Thursday (August 13) morning. According to the Vice-Chancellor, the World Economic Forum predicts that the younger generation needs to develop modern digital skills to meet the changing demands of the global market and industry. “Students should not depend only on academic degrees or results. They need to acquire practical skills,” he said. He further said that the university aims to bring around 2,000 students under the international-standard micro-credential training programme to prepare them for the global job market. “This training will help increase students’ confidence and support them in pursuing higher education and employment opportunities,” he added. The inaugural programme was chaired by Professor Dr Md Mizanur Rahman, Focal Person of the Digital Skills to Succeed (DS2S) in Asia Project, BRUR Chapter, and Professor of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Professor Dr Md Ferdous Rahman, Proctor of BRUR, addressed the programme as a special guest. Among others, Professor Dr Md Shahjalal of the Department of Marketing, Rumana Akter, Education and Youth Adviser of the German-based development organisation GIZ, Assistant Professor Yasmin Sultana of the Department of Sociology, and Lecturer Farhana Mahjabin of the Department of English also spoke at the event. Teachers and students from different departments of the university attended the programme. The micro-credential course will provide students from non-technical departments of the university with standardised training in AI, data and modern digital technologies.