Skills for Employment Investment Program (SEIP), managed by the Government of Bangladesh, has come in partnership with East West University through signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for establishing an Executive Development Center (EDC) to execute the “Graduate Diploma in Leather and Footwear Management” for supervisors, managers, and potential business developers/entrepreneurs in leather and footwear sector. Over three years, a total of three hundred trained workforce is expected to be developed that will be readily available for employment/engagement either as mid/top-level executives or as entrepreneurs in this sector.

The Executive Development Center (EDC) executes the Graduate Diploma in Leather and Footwear Management (GDLFM) at East West University with the exclusive financial support of the Government of Bangladesh. EDC can play an active role in accomplishing industry-academia collaboration and ensures first-hand experience training to enhance skills and productivity.

GDLFM is a nine-month program approved by University Grant Commission (UGC) that includes academic and industry collaboration to execute a pragmatic training program. The main target of this program is to train 300 mid-level managers. Serving this purpose, EDC developed a cutting-edge course curriculum based on industries’ need assessment and industry collaboration. This program consists of 30 credits and follows a curriculum that includes generic and industry-specific courses, including an internship. Moreover, the inclusion and development of the course content are incorporated on a regular time interval through various feedback responses from industry experts, industry demand, and students’ opinions.

In short, the aim of the GDLFM program is to produce mid-level managers who will be able to contribute to Leather and Footwear sector to support the economic growth of Bangladesh.