Regional Revitalization in Japan
Brought About by Bangladeshi IT Professionals
Tsuyoshi Kano
kanot@ict4d.jp@GRIPS
August 31, 2023
Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Outline of the Presentation

1. Self introduction
2. Digital Human Resource Development in Bangladesh
3. ICT Bridge between Bangladesh and Japan
4. Policy Implications

Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Introduction (Tsuyoshi Kano 狩野剛)

Title:
Associate Professor at Kanazawa Institute of Technology
CEO of ICT for Development Japan (NPO)Job History:
Ø2004-2007 ICT Engineer, Nomura Research InstituteØ2008-2019 ICT Sector Specialist, JICA
Ø2012-2015 JICA Bangladesh OfficeØ2021-2022 ICT Consultant, World Bank & ADB
Ø2019-now CEO, ICT for Development JapanØ2022-now Associate Professor, Kanazawa Institute of TechnologyEducation:
ØB.Eng & M.Sc at Yokohama National University
ØPh.D in Information at University of Michigan
Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Research Area•••

ICT for Economic Development (ICT4D)
Digital Human Resource Development
Edutainment / Gamification

Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Outline of the Presentation

1. Self-introduction
2. Digital Human Resource Development
in Bangladesh
3. ICT Bridge between Bangladesh andJapan
4. Policy Implications

Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Bangladesh●●●●

Area：40% of Japan’s area
Population：160 Million
Language：Bengali
Religion：Muslim (91%), Hindu (8%)
GDP per capita (USD)

2000

1000

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2010

2020

Data source:
Data Japan.
Copyright© 2022WorldICT forBankDevelopment

6

From Digital Bangladesh to Smart Bangladesh

Source：JICA

The Definition of Digital Human Resource

ICT Users• ICT Literacy• Social media behaviour• Cyber bullying• Personal information

ICT Developers• Software engineers• Data scientists• Etc.
Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Required Skills for Global ICT Workers

Soft skillsHard skills(e.g., communication)(e.g., programming skill)●●ICT industry has recognized soft skills as essential skills [1, 2].
Soft skills are overlooked by researchers and policymakers due to:○ difficulty in investigating [3].
○ lower priority in higher education [3].

There are also non-skill elements that affectthe performance of global ICT workers.
[1] Garousi et al. (2020)[2] Ahmed et al. (2013)[3] Carpets & Ahmed (2018)

Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Success Factors of ICT Workers

Tangible ortechnical elements

Hardskills

Infrastructure,etc.

Individualelements

Institutionalelements

Institutionalenvironment

etc.

Softskills

Attitudetoward work

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Programing language skills trend in the worldDice Tech Job Report 2021
(Job market analysis in the US)

DevSkiller Top IT Skills 2021
(Job market analysis worldwide)

1st SQL

1st Java

2nd Java

2nd JavaScript

3rd Python

3rd SQL

4th JavaScript
Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Analysis of Bdjobs.com ICT jobs’ trend

Source: Jony, Kano et al. (2022)

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Year-wise Ranking of Different Skills in Bdjobs.com

Source: Jony, Kano et al. (2022)

Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Summary of the Analysis
Train andproduce
the neededskills

Understanding and analyzing the skill shift could be instrumental
for both HEIs and industry people. The policymakers can also gain
insight into the required policy shifts to build an ecosystem.

A shift
There is a shift toward JavaScript and UI Design (from 2019 totoward web 2021), which can be attributed to the pandemic’s most prominentand UI/UX
feature, the increase in remote work and digitization.

Updatecurriculaand syllabi

It is recommended that leading HEIs in Bangladesh regularly
monitor the fast-changing IT industry skills demand to fine-tune,
revise and perhaps create new courses/programs, curricula, andsyllabi.

Source: Jony, Kano et al. (2022)

Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Success Factors of ICT Workers

Tangible or
technical elements

Hardskills

Infrastructure,
etc.

Individualelements

Institutionalelements

Institutionalenvironmentetc.

Softskills

Attitudetoward work

Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Individual Factors Can Be Culture-Dependent
Evaluation of individual factors is highly dependent on culture.
Differences in culture are known to be a major challenge
in international software development [1]. E.g...
●●●

Definition of "on time" [2]Communication style (direct/indirect) [3]
Similarity with "international standards" [4]More research is required on business cultures based on religion,race, or geographic location in LMICs [5].
[1] Fazli & Bittner (2017)[4] Jimenez & Roberts (2019)[2] White et al. (2011)[5] Ratten (2014)[3] Marutschke et al. (2019)
Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Practical Skills and Soft Skills can be Enhanced
73.2
70

71.4

69.4

64.2

61.1

63.6

63.4

60

56.3

% Of graduates

50.4

49.3

50

59.3

45.0

45.1
41.3

40.4

40

35.0

35.9

30
20

17.1

100
DU

BRACU

JUSTJU
Up-to-date practical skills

AUST

DIU

Enhance training on soft skills

EWU

BUET

IUT

Source: ADB

AUST = Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, BRACU = BRAC University, BUET = Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, DIU =Daffodil International University, DU = Dhaka University, EWU = East West University, JU = Jahangirnagar University, JUST = Jashore University of Scienceand Technology, IUT = Islamic University of Technology.
Note: Total number of respondents for each university are as follows: AUST (n=142), BRACU (n=140), BUET (n=203), DIU (n=140), DU (n=123), EWU(n=111), JU (n=121), JUST (n=144), IUT (n=92).
Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Both Soft and Hard Skills can be
Obtained through Global Experiences- ICT business relationship with Japan -Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

“My colleagues [in Japan] are sopunctual and organized. They always
try to maintain a time schedule.
I will work like thisin the future in Bangladesh.”— Bangladeshi ICT worker
Source: Kano (2021)
Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Trends of Japanese Companies in Bangladesh

The number of Japanesecompanies operating inBangladesh has tripled inthe past 10 years.

338
Japanese Commerse & Industry Association
324
315
310
in Dhaka Member companies
280
223
167

260

110

116

121

20
20

20
21

20
22

99

20
19

20
14

93

20
18

68

88

20
17

58

20
13

53

71

104

20
16

135

20
1230

39

20
11

24

20
1070
24

83

82

2009Increased attention from
ICT companies (offshoring,development center,recruitment, etc.)

2008

•

113245

183

2015

•

The number of Japanese companies
operating in Bangladesh

Source: JETRO
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Population Pyramid Comparison
The population structures are complementary

Source: PopulationPyramid.net

Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

The Shortage of ICT Talent in Japan
People(thousand)
2000
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
4002000

The number of shortage
The number of supply
High senario

790 thousand

Year

Source: METI, Japan
Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Employment Rate within 6 Months in Bangladesh (%)
Only around a quarter of ICT graduates got jobs within 6 months in 2018.
60.0

57.1

56.0

55.6

50.0
40.0
30.7

30.0

24.8

24.8

24.3

20.0

Overall average of 26.4%

15.9
11.8

10.0
0.0
JU

DU

IUT

EWU

BRAC

DIU

BUET

AUST

JUST

Source: ADB

Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Outline of the Presentation

1. Self-introduction
2. Digital Human Resource Development
in Bangladesh
3. ICT Bridge between Bangladesh andJapan
4. Policy Implications

Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

History of Japan’s Support on Digital HR Development

Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

JICA Volunteers’ Activities (2008-2013)
Technical support for BCC(Bangladesh Computer Council)⇨Local people can’t prove their competences.
JICA Volunteers want to give them a tool: IT certification.
Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

26

Information Technology Engineers Examination (ITEE)
National Certificate in Bangladesh, mutually recognized with other Asian countries

Level 2

Typical Target
Business or Public worker applying IT inwork / Student preparing for job hunting

Level 1

Typical Target
IT engineer working in a team / Student who want
be an IT engineer

Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

27

JICA Supported the Establishment of ITEE Certificate

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Brain Drain & Brain Circulation
Brain drain

High Income Countries

Brain circulation occurs [1]:○Brain circulation○

when the government has
invested heavily in higher
technical education
when the country is stableand open politically andeconomically[1] Saxenian, 2005
Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

An Example of Brain Circulation between BD and JP
Akbar, JM: Founder of BJIT group• 1984 (24 years old):
He left Bangladesh to study in Japan.
• 2001:He started BJIT Ltd. as an offshoring
system development company between
Bangladesh and Japan.
• 2022:
BJIT employs 800 staff (mostly engineers).
I think the best route for a global ICT worker is to actually work in Japan,
communicate with Japanese people, and absorb the business culture throughfirst-hand experience.
Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Miyazaki-city / Miyazaki-prefecture

MiyazakiTokyo
Osaka
Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

The origins of Miyazaki-Bangladesh model
Origin 1

Origin 2Origin 3

ICT SMEs in Miyazaki

Miyazaki City
Corporation

University of Miyazaki•Entry into theBangladesh market
through JICA's PPP•

Recruitment of
Human Resources•

Outflow of talentedpeople to urban areas•

Chronic shortage ofICT professionals

Expansion oflanguage education
overseas••

Gain of experience innon-Kanji countries.

Designed a model forindustry-government-academia collaborationin partnership with JICA
Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

32

Miyazaki-Bangladesh Model

Source:JICA
Copyright © 2022 ICTfor DevelopmentJapan.

33

B-JET: Japanese Language Training

Batch1Batch
2Batch3Batch4Batch5Batch6Batch7Batch8

Applicants

1,825

4,707

2,668

4,002

3,221

3,457

3,690

3,419

Selected

2040

2040

40

40

4040

Competition
ratio

91x

118x

133x

100x

81x

86x

92x

85x

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34

B-JET: Achievement (2018-2021)
Batch
1Batch2Batch3Batch4Batch5Batch6Batch7Batch8

Total

Trainees

2038

1939

38

35

39

37265

ObtainJob

2038

1939

38

3539

31259

Job inJapan

1728

1733

29

2228

12(98%)

186(70%)

Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

New B-JET (2022 – now)

3 months

3 months

B-JET
Basic cousrse

B-JET
Advanced Course- Japanese language- Business manner- ICT- Japanese language- InternshipStart working at
ICT companiesin Japan

Teachers
North SouthUniversity

MoU

University ofMiyazaki
Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Projects for Domestic ICT Workers (2022 – now)
B-MEET (Bangladesh-Miyazaki Engineers Education Training)
Bangladesh Side

Miyazaki SideC/P (Government)

PartnerC/P (University)

Implementing agency

ICT firms in Miyazaki

ICT firms in Bangladesh
Training Programs
Language, culture, manar, etc.

Aiming for medium- to long-term circulation ofpeople, goods, and money Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Outline of the Presentation

1. Self-introduction
2. Digital Human Resource Development
in Bangladesh
3. ICT Bridge between Bangladesh andJapan
4. Policy Implications

Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

[Lesson 1]
Moving people and the countries from the field
With a deep knowledge of the local area, JICA Volunteers involved counterpartsin both Japan and Bangladesh and moved the projects forward

Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

39

[Lesson 2]
Incentive Design for Industry-Government-Academia Collaboration
Collaborative design with responsibilities and incentives for all parties involved
University of Miyazaki
・Responsibilities- Dispatch of Japanese teachers- Support for foreign students
・Incentives- Increase of foreign students- Contribution to language education

ICT SMEs in Miyazaki
・ Responsibilities- Employment of Bangladeshi ICTpersonnel
・ Incentives- Obtaining support for hiring

Miyazaki City・ Responsibilities- Subsidy for employment in ICT firms- Support for foreign students- Image enhancement activities
・ Incentives- Resolving ICT staffing shortage

JICA
・ Responsibilities- Implementation of JICA project (HRD)
・ Incentives- ICT HR/Industry development in Bangladesh- Contribution to Japan’s regional
development
Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

40[Lesson 3]
Future Model of International Collaboration?
Traditional
Model

Solution

Challenges of Bangladesh Strength of Japan
FutureModel?
Solution

Strength or challenges Strength or challengesof Japanof Bangladesh

B-JET’s
Model

Digital HR

Challenges ofBangladesh

Challenges ofMiyazaki

Shortage ofopportunities
to be a global
ICT worker

Shortage ofICT engineers

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41SummaryBackground- ICT job trend in Bangladesh (high demand of software engineers)- Necessity of soft skills for international workers- The shortage of ICT talent in Japan- The shortage of opportunities for ICT talent in Bangladesh

JICA projects- National certificate project- Miyazaki-Bangladesh model- B-JET (matching ICT workers in Bangladesh and ICT firms in Japan)

Implications- Moving people and countries from the field- Incentive design for industry-government-academia collaboration- Future model of international collaboration (matching challenges)
Copyright © 2022 ICT for Development Japan.

Thank you for joining!

Tsuyoshi Kano

Japanese:

English:(狩野 剛）
Email:
kanot@ict4d.jp
X (Twitter):@yoshi_kanot
ICT4D Blog:
https://ict4d.jp
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