A seminar titled “Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency: The Career Prospects and Role of Youth” was jointly organized by USAID Bangladesh’s five-year energy project, Bangladesh Advancing Development and Growth through Energy (BADGE), and Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST) on February 15, 2023. The event aimed to raise awareness among young students regarding the recent energy context and future sectoral achievements of electricity generation using sustainable and national renewable energy resources, the career prospects in the renewable energy (RE) sector and energy efficiency (EE), and the role of youth in using energy efficiently and promoting renewable energy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The seminar featured four initial speakers: Dr. Alam Hossain Mondal, Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) for USAID-BADGE Project; Ms. Jeannelle Blanchard, Vice President, Tetra Tech; Mr. Shayan Shafi, Energy Team Leader, USAID-Bangladesh; and Professor Dr. Muhammad Fazli Ilahi, Vice-Chancellor, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology. The speakers shared their insights on the significance of renewable energy and energy efficiency in mitigating climate change and its relevance to the young generation.

The seminar included four lectures that focused on career prospects in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector. Mr. Mohammad Sibbir Ahamed, Director - Energy Policy & Utility Management, USAID-BADGE Project, discussed the Bangladesh energy sector and career prospects in RE and EE in government agencies and the development sector. Mr. Faisal Chaudhury, Vice President and Country Manager (Bangladesh), BrightNight, talked about career opportunities in RE and EE in the private sector. Professor Dr. Tareq Aziz, Head of the Dept. of EEE, Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, highlighted the career prospects as academics and researchers in RE and EE, while Mr. M Murshed Haider, Director - Private Sector Engagement, USAID-BADGE Project, discussed career prospects as green energy entrepreneurs. The lecture series was followed by a question-answer session that allowed students to interact with the speakers and gain more clarity on the topics discussed. After the question-answer session, Professor Dr. Mohammed Mahbubur Rahman, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, delivered a vote of thanks, expressing his gratitude to the speakers and participants for making the event a success. He highlighted the importance of renewable energy and energy efficiency in the current scenario and encouraged the students to take an active interest in this field to contribute towards building a sustainable future.

The seminar arrangement was coordinated by Dr. Taskin Jamal, Assistant Professor, Dept. of EEE; Ms. Shaila Arif, Assistant Professor, Dept. of EEE, with support from the EEE Society and the IEEE AUST Student Branch.

The seminar provided an excellent opportunity for the attendees to learn more about the prospects and opportunities in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector, and the organizers are to be commended for their efforts in bringing together the experts and the students for this valuable discussion.