West Zone Power Distribution Company Ltd (WZPDCL) has undertaken a programme to create over 800 efficient electric technicians in the next five years as part of its move to celebrate Mujib Borsho to mark the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. According to official sources, the distribution entity working in the country’s south-western region is successfully running two courses to train up unemployed youths to turn them into efficient electricians. “We’ve already concluded the training of the second batch of the course titled ‘Consumers Electrician Trade Course’,” Md Shafiq Uddin, managing director of the WZPDCL, told the news agency. He said his organisation has taken up a long-term programme to create 810 efficient electricians in the next five years through conducting 27 training courses. Of the courses, seven will be run till March 2021 as those began in September 2019 while the remaining 20 will be conducted over the next four years, he said. Thirty people will be trained up under each course while 210 will receive training during the Mujib Year, he said. The remaining 600 people will get training over the next four years. “The specialty of the training course is that it’s being offered to lower or lower-middle class people of rural areas free of charge,” he said adding that the unemployed and less-educated underprivileged youths living in districts and upazilas are the target group of this programme. Recently, WZPDCL organised a function to distribute certificates among the trainees at the organisation’s training institute in Khulna. Power Secretary Dr Sultan Ahmed, Joint Secretary of the Power Division Nurul Alam and other officials of WZPDCL were present on the occasion. Shafique Uddin said the youths who obtained training have already received certificates which will help them get standard certificates from the government office concerned. “With this certificate, he or she can be eligible to do high standard electrical jobs privately or in any organisation,” he said adding that this training will give them a great opportunity to be self-employed. WZPDCL was created by the government in 2002 under the Companies Act, 1994 as a public limited company as part of reform programme by way of unbundling the power sector and increasing efficiency of its different parts by ensuring accountability and better services. The company started operation in 2007 and now it has been operating power distribution network in Khulna Division, Barisal Division and greater Faridpur comprising of 21 districts and 20 upazila where it has 12.04 lakhs of consumers.
