Mobilising fund for manpower training

At last a move is on to form a US$1.7 billion fund expressly aimed at creating a 1.2 million-strong pool of trained manpower. The need for training for educated but unemployed youths has repeatedly been underscored. Even little educated and unlettered people who go abroad with menial jobs can add value to their contribution if they are imparted training prior to their recruitment. The initiative, although belated, is likely to transform the manufacturing and services sectors at home and the pool of workers looking for jobs abroad. The inaugural investment will be made in phases over a seven-year period. Whether further projects will follow this will apparently be decided by the results this one produces in terms of range and scope of skill development. It is because of this, extreme care has to be taken in devising training models and their implementation at the field level. Right now technical short courses are run under the government's youth programme. It benefits young people, particularly those who are interested in developing small enterprises or are smart enough to use their knowledge in pursuing off-beat vocations like primary veterinary.
One would imagine that the proposed training under the programme will differ in quality and its scope. Here the emphasis will be on creating a large pool of specialised manpower who can take up the challenges facing the local industrial and manufacturing sector as well as those abroad. In fact, they will know their jobs well before their recruitment and their training will be industry, service or manufacturing sector-specific. Someone trained for jobs in garments units will not be of use in a leather factory. This is the age of specialisation and hence one has to opt for developing skills at the highest level for a particular job. Already a number of areas have been identified for development through infusion of fresh blood in the form of better trained workers. Apart from garments, textile and leather, the other areas to be brought under the project are light engineering, IT, ceramics and software. Add to this the construction sector both at home and abroad, the range and scope of training are likely to be vast.
Ingenuity of people here is a proven fact. Dholaikhal engineering works speak for themselves. If systematic training can be imparted to young people with knack for such works, there is no doubt that the country's workers will be able to master the art necessary for operating industrial villages Chinese-style. The mystery behind the Chinese manufacturing boom and cheap supply lines lies in the techno-savvy workforce there. Bangladesh needs one such large force capable of taking manufacturing several notches ahead at a push. Sure enough, the country's large population makes it incumbent on the policy-framers and planners to take measures for discreet exploitation of its resourcefulness - be it in the agriculture, service or manufacturing sectors. Systematic training will not only help develop people's skills but also make it easier for planning with the population. Imbued with work ethics received through training and motivation, a nation gradually learns the art of raising the standard of living.