DHAKA (ILO news)- To mark WYSD 2020, the ILO’s European Union-funded project Skills 21 has partnered with Prothom Alo the leading national daily newspaper in the local language to carry out a campaign to popularize the TVET education and Skills Development in Bangladesh.

This year’s World Youth Skills Day comes amid an unprecedented global crisis. Like other countries in the world, the youth in Bangladesh had the hardest hit by the pandemic. The education, training, employment disrupted and they are almost uncertain with their future.

In this circumstance, this campaign shows the youth different opportunities and career paths through successful TVET graduates stories. To popularize TVET, the project organized an online quiz competition for TVET students those are in graphic design and electrical installation and maintenance trade across the country.

Some 3000 students from different technical and vocational institutes across the country registered to participate in the competition. In the selection round 1,200 participants qualified for the final round and among them 10 from each course selected as the winner.

The top three winners are getting apprenticeship offers from the local industries and others are getting tool kits for their respected courses. Md. Tarikul Islam Tarif one of the top winner said, “We are overwhelmed, and this is the first time as a TVET student we are participating in any extra curriculum activities.”

As a part of this campaign, Skills 21 project organized a high-level webinar discussion titled “World Youth Skills Day and the Challenges Facing Bangladesh (including COVID-19)”.

The panel, which included deputy education minister Mr Mohibul Islam Chowdhury, shared their opinions on the current state of skills development in Bangladesh; the disruption caused by COVID-19; the impact on skills delivery and job placements; how to bridge the digital divide and how to match skills training with market demand. Mr Chowdhury committed to advocating the recommendations from the discussion to take into action. A 60-minute edit of the webinar was broadcasted on Prothom Alo’s Facebook page on the eve of the WYSD (14th July). The webinar has been viewed by 28k Facebook viewers to date.

The TVET graduates success stories captured from different sectors and showcased during 2-15 July on the different section of the newspapers. The newspaper introduced a section/corner on Skills of their youth supplement page.

On 15 July, Prothom Alo published a one-page supplement on skills and technical education in Bangladesh. The one-page supplement featured excerpts from the webinar as well as articles on migrant workers and skills development in Bangladesh. The online quiz winners’ names and photos were also published on the page. To read the supplement, click here

Tuomo Poutiainen Country Director for ILO Bangladesh said, “With more than two million young men and women entering the labour market each year, it’s imperative the country’s youth are equipped with the right skills, qualification, and opportunities to access apprenticeships and decent work. Those same opportunities equally apply to young women, minority communities and people with disabilities.”

The World Youth Skills Day 2020 is an annual opportunity for young people, TVET institutions, and public and private sector stakeholders to acknowledge and celebrate the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.