Focus on skilled labour force for economic growth

Speakers at a programme on Monday stressed the need for creating skilled labour force to ensure sustainable economic growth in the country.

They also called for an inclusive and demand-driven skills development system, which would help boost productivity.

The call came at the launching ceremony of the European Union-funded 'Skills 21-Empowering Citizens for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth project' at a city hotel.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) jointly organised the event.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid attended the programme as the chief guest and Secretary of Technical and Madrasa Education Division (TMED) Md Alamgir presided over it.

Doerte Bosse, acting Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh, attended the function as a guest of honour.

Ligaya Dumaoang, TVET & Skills Development specialist, Skills 21 Project, ILO, delivered the welcome speech.

Education Minister Nahid said an effective technical and vocational education and training system can play an important role in helping Bangladesh meet many social and economic challenges.

Skills-21 will make a valuable contribution to the national efforts to put in place a system that helps transform our people into a skilled resource and meet our development goals, he added.

Doerte Bosse said Bangladesh needs a skilled labour force to ensure sustainability of its economic growth.

"The European Union's continued support to skills sector development through Skills 21 project is a testament to our commitment to help build a skills system which will benefit individual workers, companies and the nation alike," she said.

Mr. Alamgir said the skills-21 project will help meet many of the challenges.

The estimated cost of the project is 20 million euros. The EU will provide 19.5 million euros.

The project will be implemented in collaboration with education, labour and employment, expatriates' welfare and overseas employment, youth and sports, and Chittagong hill tracts affairs ministries, National Skills Development Council Secretariat, Directorate of Technical Education, Bangladesh Technical Education Board and the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training.

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