Background – Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world with a population of just under 160 million as of 2008. Although Bangladesh has made considerable progress in both economic development and poverty reduction, a large proportion of the population still struggles to earn enough to cover their basic needs. Economic growth can’t absorb the large number of young people entering the labor market every year and the lack of skilled labor is a major impediment to reaching a higher growth rate. A survey revealed in 2006 that 40 percent of the working-age population had no schooling at all.  The existing Technical and Vocational Education Training system in Bangladesh provides only limited opportunities to poor and marginalized inhabitants and currently only 3 percent of the entire population is enrolled in vocational education. Moreover, the existing training institutes have little or no linkages to industry and thus fail to provide their students with the skills that the market demands.

Project – Swisscontact has launched a project that will give unemployed and underemployed youths the opportunity to learn a profession that will be sought after in the labor market. A more highly skilled workforce will improve the competitiveness of the Bangladeshi economy and lead to increased demand for qualified professionals. Swisscontact links training providers to industries in order to tailor vocational education and training to the specific needs of the employers. Training providers receive advisory services through the project to enhance their programs and services. The key sectors the project focuses on are: tourism, handicraft and cottage industries, shipbuilding, furniture, light engineering, leather and footwear, readymade garments and textiles, and automobiles. In training development, the specific needs of the large group of migrant laborers in the area are also taken into account. Swisscontact also helps to establish linkages between financial institutions, training providers, and potential trainees to help make it financially possible for more people to afford the training. Bangladesh’s economic development and integration in the world markets clearly show that its population has the capability to reduce poverty through their own efforts. Yet an important prerequisite to increasing job and income opportunities in Bangladesh is the existence of a modern and market-oriented vocational training system. There are enough Bangladeshis willing to join.