High-powered team to explore ME job market

A high powered delegation headed by the expatriate welfare minister will leave Dhaka for Qatar Monday to explore the Middle Eastern job market for Bangladeshi workers.
Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment (EWOE) minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain said this Sunday at a press briefing at the city's Probashi Kallyan Bhaban (PKB).
During their visit the delegation will discuss demand for workers and recruitment process with concerned authorities of Qatar. They also will talk about bringing down the migration cost, the minister said.
"We will propose the Qatar authority to take initiative for stopping visa trading and hope they will consider our proposal actively," he said.
For preventing visa trading Bangladesh has introduced registration system and no worker will be recruited outside the government database, he added.
Qatar needs a large number of foreign workers to construct its stadiums and other infrastructure to host world cup football 2022.
Meanwhile, European Union has expressed willingness to provide fund for helping improve training facilities for Bangladeshi workers.
The EU ambassador in Dhaka Pierre Mayaudon expressed such eagerness during a courtesy call the same day with EWOE minister at PKB.
"The EU is very positive to offer financial assistance for skills development training for our workers. If we place proposal, it will provide fund for training programme," the minister said after meeting with the EU envoy.
He said he has proposed the ambassador that EU hire manpower from Bangladesh.
Besides, they discussed about illegal migration. The EU is working to prevent unlawful migration, he added.   
EWOE secretary Khandakar Iftekhar Haidar, director general of the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) Begum Shamsun Nahar, among others were present at the press briefing.
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