‘Skills 21’ set to drive Bangladesh skills sector development to next level
At a ceremony held in Dhaka 12 December, a Joint Declaration on the
launch the ‘Skills 21 – Empowering citizens for inclusive and
sustainable growth’ project was signed by representatives of the
Government of Bangladesh, EU and ILO. The total budget for the
initiative is EUR20 million of which the EU will contribute EUR19.5
million.
Secretary of Education, Mr. Md. Sohorab Hossain signed
on behalf of the Government while Ambassador Pierre Mayaudon and
Director-General Guy Ryder inked the agreement for the EU and ILO
respectively. Honourable Minister of Education, Mr. Nurul Islam Nahid,
MP, witnessed the event.
Speaking on behalf of the Government of
Bangladesh, the Honourable Minister of Education said, “This initiative
will support the Government’s commitments to inclusive economic growth
and full and productive employment for all. A skilled and productive
workforce will make a major contribution to our goal of becoming a
middle-income country by 2021. The launch of the Skills 21 project will
provide further assistance to our national efforts to create an
effective, demand driven skills system that will meet the needs and
aspirations of our people, especially the two million who enter the
workforce every year.”
EU Ambassador Pierre Mayaudon said, “To
ensure the sustainability of its economic growth, Bangladesh is in need
of a skilled labour force. After the completion of the EU funded TVET
reform project, which helped Bangladesh define a National Skills
Development policy, the EU will continue its support with the new Skills
21 programme to further develop and complete the establishment of a
comprehensive and coherent TVET system and its institutional setup, for
long term effectiveness. This EU funded intervention will also aim at
creating the conditions for a sector wide approach for the TVET policy
area in Bangladesh. In doing so, we will also be instrumental in
creating more skilled trainers and more diversified job opportunities
for young Bangladeshis".
The earlier EU-funded TVET Reform Project which ended in December 2015
successfully established the foundation for the new, demand-driven,
competency-based system for skills development in Bangladesh including
reforms in the formal TVET system – a reform initiative that has been
widely acknowledged and rated as highly successful by the professional
community in the region as well as at global level. Set to run from
January 2017 to December 2020, Skills 21 will strengthen the National
Skills Development System by continuing earlier reforms and by
developing a National Qualifications Framework. It will work with the
Government to improve the governance aspects within the skills
development sector, and directly with TVET institutions to introduce the
entire reform package of new quality assured programmes, trained
instructors and management as well as services for career guidance and
job placement. The project also aims to support partnerships between
private sector and relevant training providers to develop and implement
effective professional education and training programmes.
Given
the importance of labour migration in the Bangladesh economy, Skills 21
will also include actions for the integration of migration issues in the
Skills Development System. The programme will support the returning
migrants as well as those aspiring to migrate so they are able to secure
better paid work.
The project will be implemented in close
collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour and
Employment, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment,
Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry Of Chittagong Hill Tracts
Affairs, National Skills Development Council Secretariat, Directorate of
Technical Education, Bangladesh Technical Education Board and Bureau of
Manpower Employment and Training.
With Skills 21, Bangladesh will benefit its demographic dividend not just in quantity but also in quality.