The country has to spend a significant amount of money for payment of foreign people, working in different organizations, mainly due to lack of local adequate skilled manpower, Finance Minister A M A Muhith said on Monday.
"Each year foreigners, who help us in different organizations, take away $4.0 billion as payment against their work, because we have scarcity of skilled manpower," the minister said.
He was formally launching five-yearlong 'Skills for Employment Investment Programme (SEIP)' at a city hotel.
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) is implementing the $1.0 billion ADB-funded project to generate skilled manpower both in private and public sectors as well as to help them get better job and salary.
Department of Technical Education (DTE), Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), and Bangladesh Industrial Technical Assistance Centre (BITAC) are also partners of the project.
Acting president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) S M Mannan Kochi presided over the programme.
Its office-bearers along with MoF additional secretary Jalal Ahmed, first vice president of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, among others, were also present.
"Without development of skilled manpower, it is not possible to implement our plans, visions and dreams," the finance minister mentioned.
SEIP will support training of 1.5 million people, including training of new entrants, and up-skilling of those already working during the project span from 2014 to 2021, through associations like textile and clothing, leather and footwear, ship-building, light-engineering, construction and IT, said the MoF additional secretary.
Some 2,60,000 people will be trained by 2017, of whom about 70 per cent will be provided with gainful jobs, he added.
The acting president of BGMEA said under the project the association will provide training to some 43,800 people, especially for entry- to mid-level positions in garment factories.
BGMEA signed an agreement with MoF on April 13, and provided trainings to more than 2,000 people till date.
munni_fe@yahoo.com
