It is not very often that you come across an organization that originated in Bangladesh, providing skill development opportunities to eager learners in more than 24 countries across the globe. BSDC, which stands for Bangladesh Skill Development Company, is truly a remarkable representation of how far this small but significant nation has come. The brainchild of founder Nafis Zubair Khan, BSDC provides skill development resources to people of all ages, from the remotest areas of Bangladesh to non-resident Bangladeshis around the world.
Today, we are in Conversation with the founder and Chief Executive Officer of BSDC, Nafis Zubair Khan. Jonathan Dias gets a closer look at how he has developed his business.
Can you please tell us a little bit about your thinking behind starting such an organization and what were the major challenges in the initial stage?
‘’Millions of people in our country lack access to quality English communication training. Keeping that in mind, back in 2013, I started teaching English preparation courses in my home. Within a few months, I rented a small room in Dhaka and started teaching English to students of all ages. That’s how it all started. The most difficult challenge in the initial stage was to hire good teachers and to manage a team and keep them focused.’
What is the current state of the company and what services do you provide?
‘’BSDC is basically an organization that provides low-cost, subscription-based skill development programs online. Our main focus is on English communication skill development. Our classes are conducted live where students can interact with the teachers in real-time. We have more than 1,20,000 people from around the world on our platform. We launched English-speaking development programs to non-resident Bangladeshis in December 2020. It was a major turning point in our organization’s growth. Now, we are providing multi-discipline skill development training to thousands of non-resident Bangladeshis living in more than 24 countries worldwide.’’
What are your plans for the future?
‘’We are currently developing Bangla language learning courses for children of non-resident Bangladeshis. We are also focusing on the international growth potential for our English learning courses. We also want to open up physical skill development centers in all corners of Bangladesh.’’
You have become successful at your endeavors at a fairly young age. Who do you owe your success to and any advice for people willing to start similar adventures?
‘’ My father, Md. Abdul Wahid Khan is my greatest inspiration. My mother and my younger sister always encourage me. No words can describe the support I get from my loving wife, Tanzia Islam, who has immense contribution to the organization. I am very grateful to Rafsaan Riyad, who is the co-founder of our digital platform, and Mr. Zakaria Sajjad, our Head of Operations. Also, my hard-working team, who work day and night to turn my visions into reality. As per your question on advice, I can only say that the good things in life always come the hard way. So, keep working no matter how hard the day might seem. Best wishes!’’
