Our impact, Their voices

Market relevant quality skills training ensures employment

Skills 21 project is a joint initiative of the Government of Bangladesh and the International Labour Organization (ILO), funded by the European Union. The project seeks to increase productivity and employment opportunities through an environmentally conscious, inclusive, demand-driven, and interlinked skills development system responding to the needs of the labour market.

Feature | Dhaka | 05 November 2020
© ILO
Fashiul Islam lives in Sundarganj, Gaibandha with his four siblings. Their father is a small farmer with a tiny land holding. Fashiul’s education stopped at the HSC and - without any qualifications he was struggling to find a decent job.

Luckily, he stumbled upon a circular from Gaibandha Technical Training Centre advertising a short course in welding. He enrolled and completed the NTVQF level 1 certificate course. He then enrolled on a Level 2 welding course, spending BDT3000 (US$35) from his own pocket to upgrade his welding skills.

With support from Gaibandha TTC, he soon landed a welding job at the local Uttara Motors factory, earning BDT8,500 (US$100) per month. He now wants to keep on learning and improving his welding skills to get a better paid job and continue to support his family.

Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Skills 21 job placement officers have been in constant touch with many employers to secure placements for students who graduated in March 2020.

To date, like Fashiul 21 graduates (welding, EIM and graphic design) have been hired by companies like BSRM, Uttara Motors, Arc Technologies and Steps 21.

The ILO’s Skills 21 project is supported by the European Union. Other than Sylhet, the project aims to support developing TVET institutes in Bagerhat, Feni, Jamalpur, Khulna, Rangamati and Gaibandha into model institutes.

For more information, contact

Kishore Kumar Singh
Chief Technical Advisor
Skills 21- Empowering citizens for inclusive and sustainable growth project
singhkk@ilo.org