Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is education and training that can turn the unemployed workforces into the powerhouse of the economic development of Bangladesh. TVET is being conducted at the identical institutions or centres that follow defined requirements set in the National Skill Development Policy (NSDP). The role of TVET institutions in enhancing the skills of the unemployed workforces is coherently interconnected. A well-established TVET institute is able to contribute to prepare competent workforces resulting in essential growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Besides, it creates windows of opportunities and new horizons for the unskilled youths through equipping and engaging them in the demand-driven job market. We have both private and public training institutes, along with some sorts of limitations, ready to provide skills development training. In addition, the ineffective coordination, poor industry linkage, and an incomplete TVET ecosystem have intensified the problems to a great extent. Further, the attention of the development partners e.g. World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) gets less focused on these crying needs. However, through some proactive measures our TVET institutions could function to align with the global standards.
We have approximately 8,000 public and private TVET institutions that are engaged as well as led by ministries, agencies, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), International NGOs (INGOs) and associations. 35 departments under 23 ministries are involved in leading public TVET to implement skills development initiatives throughout the country. Among the major implementers the remarkable are: Technical and Madrasah Education Division (TMEd), Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Finance Division, Ministry of Industries, Ministry of Youth and Sports, ICT Division, Ministry of Jute and Textiles, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Ministry of Social Welfare, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, and Rural Development and Co-operative Division. A private TVET is being implemented by private institutions, NGOs and INGOs. Industries and associations also offer demand-oriented skills development of relevant trades through On-the-Job Training (OJT). Several recruiting agencies explore both public and private training centres to provide skills development training in order to meet the needs of the foreign employers. The scarcity of experienced instructors at the TVET institutes is one of the major concerns in Bangladesh. Most of the government Technical Schools and Colleges (TSCs) as well as Technical Training Centres (TTCs) are not equipped with sufficient tools, equipment, and modern technologies. Trainees have less opportunity to perform the specified jobs in practical terms. Skills development projects hire guest trainers on a daily basis who are trivially paid. Hence, experienced trainers are not interested in providing training for projects. The instructors, guest trainers, and principals of the TTCs as well as TSCs hardly get national training let alone foreign ones. The institutes have scarce affiliations with the international recruitment agencies and their certifications are not acknowledged globally. The international certification or accreditation authority is under the Ministry of Industry (MoI) which has less coordination with other skills development TVET institutes.
TVET has been one of the best mediums of employing skilled workforce around the globe in the last decade. Immense development has been ensured enclosing Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and TVET institutions in some countries. The rapid and exemplary development of the TVET institutions of the Philippines, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Canada, Germany, South Africa, South Korea, Japan and China have enchanted people around the world. In the Philippines, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is the authority responsible for TVET at 429 public and 4406 private institutes at the state level. TESDA controls four types of TVET in the Philippines e.g. school-based, centre-based, community-based, and enterprise-based TVET. Australia's TVET institutions are enormously renowned globally owing to its strong attention to industry linkage, skills solicitation, and to its scalability and flexibility. At this time, in Australia, 4.2 million TVET students are getting enrolled at 4,200 Registered Training Organizations (RTOs) that comprise 58 public providers under Technical and Further Education (TAFEs). TVET institutions in China are progressively using technology to meet the demand of ICT-capable workforces required at manufacturing enterprises. Some 11200 secondary vocational schools and 1359 higher vocational colleges are involved in promoting TVET in China to cope up with 4IR. Thailand TVET is implemented through 416 sophisticated colleges and 77 vocational training centres. Singapore TVET has been entrusted with plausible industry linkage with the establishment of 8 polytechnics as well as Institute of Technical Education- Education Services (ITEES) around the world. '70% work-based and 30% school-based', a dual system with two learning venues, is prevailing at German TVET including 17 famous Technical Universities.
Investment in the TVET sector symbolizes the investment in national socio-economic development. Hence, the stronger the TVET sector is the better the economic condition of a country will be. As TVET is the lifelong learning process, it induces the key to technological progress, wealth creation, rapid industrialization and poverty reduction. TVET institutes or centres are the nucleus of the TVET sector. A well-established TVET centre has all the peripheries of transforming unskilled human workforces into national human capital. Industry employers trust the credentials of the skilled graduates, curriculums, competency based learning materials (CBLMs), Competency Based Assessment (CBA), and teaching learning process of a standard skills development training centre. The inclination and realization of establishing quality TVET institutions have been reflected through various initiatives taken in the policy settings. Several projects are in progress to maximize the reach and benefits of skills development training up to the door even to the marginalized people. The Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) is in the process of establishing TSCs at every Upazilla around the country.
Efficient human resource is one of the key components of a credible TVET institution. The professionalism of the skilled and experienced TVET expert makes the institutions most prolific and renowned to the people around the region and beyond. Practice teaching, peer support, instructors' professional development and leadership management training are the most essential parts to develop human resources of the TVET institutions.
TVET trainers' and assessors' professional development is one of the areas that can reinforce sustainable development by building connectivity with the upcoming approaches and technology. Professional development can be ensured in different forms of training and practices. The increased demand of the TVET professional's development might be met up through observation visits, research, practice teaching, presentations, mentoring, and reading professional journals.
Transferable technologies, tools and equipment can comprehensively interlink TVET institutions with the good practices in the globalized world. This can be achieved through a comprehensive and well equipped laboratory or workshop with relevant tools, equipment and other training facilities. Newer form of technologies e.g. Hyper Automation, Cybersecurity, Full Stack Development, Block chain, Snowflake, Edge Computing, Internet of Behaviours, Predictive Analytics, Devops, and Artificial Intelligence as a Service would multiply the standard and acceptance of a TVET institute worldwide. Customized technologies can be shaped based on the contextual demand of the TVET ecosystem. This will bring a paradigm shift for innovating newer forms of technologies. Again, the intervention of demand driven and employment focused short courses aligned with modern technology could maximize quality TVET graduates resulting in enhanced economic growth of the country.
A successful TVET institute has close linkage with numerous industries. Industry Linkage is established aiming at enhancing knowledge and technology transfer for graduates to be placed in the real-world industries. Industry could define and require competencies on occupations to the TVET institutes. Sometimes, TVET institutes invite experts from industries while preparing Competency Based Learning Materials (CBLMs). Experts describe jobs based on occupations and CBLMs are prepared. Those CBLMs are used in skills development training to supply skilled workforces in the industries. Thus, the more the industry linkage the stronger TVET institution is.
The relentless efforts of several skills development projects along with government policy directions for strengthening TVET institutions are remarkable. Skills for Employment Investment Project (SEIP), Skills and Training Enhancement Project (STEP), B-SkillFUL, the Bangladesh Skills for Employment and Productivity (B-SEP) and 'Sudokkho' are the major skills development projects in Bangladesh. All the projects aim at strengthening TVET institutions aligned with skills development initiatives. SEIP, with the assistance of ADB, envisions capacity strengthening of TVET institutions through one of its four components. The project assisted in establishing the National Human Resources Development Fund (NHRDF) under the Finance Division to ensure additional funding to the deserving public and private training institutes. It also helps the National Skills Development Authority (NSDA) that will address the entire skills ecosystem at 23 ministries. Besides, as part of the institutional strengthening process, SEIP supports fully operationalizing the Industry Skills Council (ISC). In addition, the project establishes 4 Executive Development Centres (EDCs) at four renowned universities including Institute of Business Administration (IBA) at Dhaka University to save 6.00 billion USD that we spend for managers imported from foreign countries. Further, with support of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and Korea University of Technology (KOREATECH), SEIP is contributing to the modernization of Bangladesh Industrial Training Assistance Center (BITAC) Dhaka by building a 12-storied modern training center under Ministry of Industry and upgradation of 3 TTCs under Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET). KOREATECH will provide technical assistance, modern equipment and training to the instructors and managers of BITAC Dhaka. Bangladesh Association of Construction Industry (BACI) is also having financial assistance from SEIP to build a 12-storied modern TVET training centre as well.
It is high time we realized the importance of strengthening TVET institutes and centres aligned with the good practices around the world. The existing skills development training institutes and centres can best be turned into modern skills development factories exploring technology shift. Industry linkage, technology intervention and more international affiliations should be yoked alongside the increased number of TVET institutes. Government has taken numerous initiatives to abate the skills gap through market responsive skills development training. Besides, the expansion and modernization of TVET institutes have significantly been reformed for the last few years. In addition, the formation and empowerment of NSDA have been a paradigm shift to execute NSDP in parallel with national agenda. However, the establishment of a skills ministry is a time-oriented demand to strengthen our TVET institutes to cope up with advanced practices around the world. So, the policy makers should come forward immediately to look into the issue of formation of a skills ministry in the greater interest of the nation and the expected socio-economic development.
The writer is a Project Officer at SEIP, Finance Division, MoF Former Senior Trainer (English), BRAC-PACE
Senior Coordinator-Teacher Development, English in Action (EIA), Cambridge Education
mnurunnabi5@gmail.com
seipnabi@gmail.com