BracU and Swisscontact pioneering ESG education in Bangladesh

On 23rd November, Brac University, through the department of Economics and Social Sciences (ESS),  and Swisscontact signed an agreement to jointly develop Bangladesh’s first professional certified course on ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance). This initiative was started by Dr Shahidur Rahman (Professor, ESS) and Dr Syed A. Mamun (Professor, ESS) to be a programme under ESS and also part of Swisscontact’s “Promoting Green Growth in the Ready-made Garments Sector through Skills” (PROGRESS) project, funded by the Embassy of Sweden and the Embassy of Switzerland. It will begin in January 2026, expand into a postgraduate diploma by 2027, and eventually evolve into undergraduate and graduate degrees, creating a nationally recognised pathway for sustainability-focused careers. 

This course is suitable for professionals or graduates seeking careers in compliance, HR, sustainability, and ESG practices in the export-oriented industries, particularly the ready-made garments industry. At the end of the course, students will be able to comprehend ESG frameworks, standards, reporting, measurements, financing mechanisms and industry case studies. Two focus group discussions (FGD) were held as part of the skill gap and needs assessment study for this course.

The first FDG was held on 20th November with industry professionals from 24 companies present. Dr Rahman reflected, “One of the professionals mentioned that there is a misconception that ESG practices are only about the environment. In that context, students from non-environmental disciplines, especially economics, social sciences and business, have a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on the scope as it is very complicated to turn social aspects into business aspects and make investment approaches.” 

The second FDG was held on 4th December with BracU students where Dr Mamun expressed, “I am the current, continuous learner of ESG, and you are the future learners of ESG, so, from that point of view, our curiosity is our similarity. We are most curious to learn more about the students’ fresh and unique perspectives that will help us serve them better.”

This collaboration is a milestone for Bangladesh’s higher education and industry alignment, as it directly addresses the need for ESG expertise in global industries.