TVET Reform Project Newsletter – June 2011 1

TVET Reform Project

ILO Dhaka Office

Key Project Facts

Funding: EU/ ILO/ GOB

Project cost: $20 million over 5 years

Line Ministry: Ministry of Education (MOE)

Key counterparts: DTE, BMET and BTEB

Implementing agency: International Labour Organisation

(ILO), Dhaka, Bangladesh

Responsible National Project Director: Director-General, DTE

Phase Ⅰ: 2008-2009

Phase Ⅱ : 2010-2012

NEWS LETTER

Technical & Vocational Education & Training (TVET) Reform Project

Welcome to the first issue of the project newsletter from the project office. The TVET Reform Project is funded by the European Union (EU), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Government of Bangladesh and aims to reduce poverty through reform to the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system. These reforms will enable more people to acquire employable skills and thus generate income through wage-earning jobs or self-employment. The focus of this first issue is to remind you about the components of the project and what they do. We highlight the work of the project’s Component 5 with under-privileged groups. Our first story is about changes in the project office.

TVET Reform Project Changes in mid-2011

Personnel changes and launch of programme trials

are highlights in the TVET reform project for mid-2011.

Dr. A.J.A. Pratapsingh will be leaving at the beginning of

July after a year doing excellent work in Component 2

where he collaborated with the Standards and

Curriculum Development Committees (SCDCs) on

completing competency standards and course

accreditation documents. The latter will be presented

to the Bangladesh Technical Education Board (BTEB)

by early July. His replacement is expected to be Dr.

Mark Wall who has previous experience in Vietnam,

Bangladesh and other countries. Ross Hatton will be

leaving Component 5 at the end of July but will be

returning in a supporting role for a few months in the

last quarter of the year. Dr. Srinivas Reddy Baki will be

replacing Ross and will be joining in mid-July. Srinivas comes from another ILO skills project in Indonesia.

The project is hosting an Australian Youth Ambassador (AYAD), Ms. Sarah Saltmarsh, bringing with her energy,

enthusiasm and experience in communications as well as vocational training. She joins in early July with Ms. Miji

Choi, an intern from South Korea, who is supporting component 5 since April this year.

The programme trials will be starting in July with the baking and graphic design courses at the National Hotel and

Tourism Training Institute and the Graphic Arts Institute respectively. Other new courses will be launched from

August to September. Procurement of equipment is in full swing and computers and kitchen equipment for the

above programmes have already been delivered and renovations are underway. Meanwhile the instructors for the

new courses are engaged in preparing teaching, learning and assessment materials as well as taking training to get

themselves ready for the launch at their institutions.

A quality assurance consultant will be working in July with the BTEB and principals of the programme trial

institutions on further explaining and implementing the quality assurance tools drafted earlier this year.

June 2011/ Issue 1

TVET Reform Project Newsletter – June 2011 2

Program Officer of Component 1, Mr. Haripada

Das introducing the session to participants

The dozens of course accreditation documents

developed will be signed off by the Industry

Skills Councils and handed over to the BTEB

during June/July 2011.

Mr. Nurul Islam Nahid, MP, Honorable

Minister of Education listening to TVET

manager and instructor comments during

debriefing seminar

Arrangements will also be made with BTEB to accredit the institutions that will run the programme trials and to

organize training of quality auditors.

An advisory committee of industry and government persons will be meeting in June to advance preparations for

the proposed national skills survey, and development of the TVET database. Committee members come from both

government and private sector circles but share a mutual interest in collecting and using labour market data to

better forecast the need for different types and levels of skills development programmes.

TVET Reform Project – Five Components

Component 1 focuses on the national TVET policies, legal and regulatory environment and organisational and management structure of the system with the purpose to strengthen governance, management and operational capacity; improve coordination and promote decentralization in the TVET system and institutions.

Recent Activity In cooperation with the UNESCO, the TVET Project is

conducting a series of capacity building workshops for senior government

and non-government stakeholders in TVET. This programme will give the

participants the skills to collect data, analyse it, and write policy that

addresses the identified skills demands and supply situation in Bangladesh.

Shown here is a technical session during workshop #2, held at Comilla

BARD 19-23 April 2011.

Component 2 focuses on

responsiveness of TVET institutions to enable those to flexibly meet the market needs and the needs of the

poorer and disadvantaged groups. The following results are part of this component: New National Qualifications Framework; revised skills standards for occupations in selected economic sectors; new courses and curricula based on the skills standards for selected economic sectors; enhanced

quality-assurance mechanism in TVET.

Component 3’s major focus is capacity building for managers and instructors in TVET institutions.

Recent Activity TVET Project organized a fellowship for instructors to the Philippines where among other activities, they observed local instructors delivering competency based training and learned about external assessment practices. During the 2nd fellowship, a group of TVET managers as well as senior officials from BTEB, BMET and MOED also visited the Philippines and were treated to briefings at TESDA, the ILO country office, the Colombo Plan Staff College and visits to TVET institutions. Many lessons were learned during these fellowships and to draw out and share these lessons, the project organized a debriefing seminar on June 9, 2011. The occasion was graced by the presence of the Minister and Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Labour, and the Director of the ILO Country Office. The welcome statement was made by the Director-General, Directorate of Technical Education. After the morning debriefing programme, the fellowship participants stayed back and

TVET Reform Project Newsletter – June 2011 3

COEL Launch June, 2011- Chie guests, Prof.Md.Abul Kashem, National Project

Director, TVET Reform Project, and Chairman, BTEB and acting DG, DTE

Key Activities of Component 5

Community-Based Training (CBT) mainstreamed into

TVET

Increased access of working children to TVET

Informal apprenticeships improved and supported

System for recognition of prior learning (RPL)

developed

TVET extended to people with low education levels

Enhanced capacity of key agencies (DTE, BTEB, BMET)

to support skills development for under-privileged

groups

Access of females to TVET and employment increased

Access of people with disabilities (PWD’s) to TVET and

employment improved

developed recommendations based on their learning from the fellowship. These recommendations will be collated and shared with the relevant authorities so that the TVET reform agenda can be advanced.

Component 4 is responsible for “Workplace Learning & Productivity” aiming at improved skills development resulting in enhanced productivity and competitiveness in key growth and export-oriented industries in the formal industrial sectors.

Recent Activity Centre of Excellence for Leather

(COEL) has launched an Apprenticeship Programme on

Tuesday, 7th June, 2011 at 10:00am at Palli Biddut,

Shafipur, Kaliakoir Gazipur. COEL registered as a non-

profit organisation in January 2010, and operates as a

one stop shop for the leather industry offering a variety

of services with core focus on skills development of the workforce, while building its own capacity through

international accreditation. The aforementioned apprenticeship programme is supported by TVET Reform Project,

ILO (funded by EC-GOB-ILO) and Poverty Reduction by Increasing the Competitiveness of Enterprises (PRICE) is

supported by USAID.

Component 5 focuses on working to integrate

those who do not have access to the training so as to

generate income and enhance their living standard. To

reduce poverty and mitigate the limitations of inadequate

school education, Bangladesh Government recognizes

that more citizens need to have access to formal skills

training & improved informal on the job training to

develop skills to increase their employability.

Who are the Under-Privileged?

The group includes the working children, the rural population (less developed areas), and youth with low literacy levels, women, and PWDs. Most do not have access to the publicly-funded TVET.

TVET Access to PWD’s for RMG

This pilot apprenticeship will be the first initiative for integrating PWD’s into mainstream training with newly updated competency based training developed from industry input. The pilot apprenticeships for other groups are also planned in the near future.

TVET Access to Working Children

Component 5 is working with UIE (Urban Informal

TVET Reform Project Newsletter – June 2011 4

Economy) project and UNICEF to improve the working condition for children who are exposed to work in hazardous working environments. Both projects are involved with removing the children from the worst forms of child labour, training them in a life skills and education programmes followed by trade skills training at specially developed Vocational Training Centres (VTC) throughout Dhaka & Chittagong.

Recent Activities

1. CRP & Interfab Pilot Apprenticeship Agreement with ILO

The ILO entered into contract with Centre for the

Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) and Interfab

Shirt Manufacturing Ltd.(Interfab) to implement the

apprentice pilot training programme with newly

developed competency based course for Ready-Made

Garment (RMG) Sewing Machine Operators, which will

integrate young women with disabilities into mainstream

training. The apprenticeship pilot has been developed by

component 5 with contribution of the CRP, Interfab Shirt

Manufacturing Limited of Viyellatex group.

CRP is a specialist agency with many years experience

in the treatment, care and training for PWDs, currently

running courses in conjunction with Marks & Spencer

(M&S). CRP will conduct the new training to prepare the

young women with disabilities for employment. Dr. Valerie

Taylor, the founder of CRP said “there is high demand for

the graduates with disabilities from this course as industry

say PWD’s are usually more productive, more reliable and

less likely to migrate.

TVET Project is happy to be associated with Interfab as

it is one of the leading RMG industries in Bangladesh and

promotes employment of PWD’s. Under this pilot training

apprenticeship, 12 young women (6 with disabilities) will

be accommodated and trained at CRP at Ganakbari over a

4 month period and will then be employed in the factory of

the Interfab at Tongi. There they will undergo on-the-job

training for an additional 8 months with guidance of the factory supervisors. This training will follow a Competency

Skills Log Book to document skills and acquired competencies resulting multi skilled workers trained in all facets of

shirt manufacturing and meeting demands of modern RMG export industry. This training also includes training on

specialist attachments & guides that are used in modern RMG factories.

CRP signing the agreement at ILO Office, April 2011

From Left: Mr. Harunur Rashid (PO, TVET(5), ILO), Dr.Valerie A. Taylor

(CRP Founder), Mr. Gagan Rajbhandari (Deputy Director, ILO), Mr. Ross

Hatton (Int’l advisor, TVET (5), ILO)

Ab

Interfab signing the agreement at Tongi, May 2011

Mr. Andre Bogui(Director, ILO office) & Mr. Ahasan Kabir Khan(Managing Director, Interfab)

TVET Reform Project Newsletter – June 2011 5

At Mirhazirbag VTC

2. Visits to VTC’s for Children

Component 5 team visited two VTCs

during April and May run by DAM & UIE

project as well as Technical School &

College (TSC) at Gazipur run by

Directorate of Technical Education (DTE).

Component 5 provides technical

assistance to the ILO UIE project in

conducting training at DAM VTCs. This

training provides opportunities for the

working children to obtain the skills to get

decent jobs that really improve their

standard of living. Without this

opportunity, they are destined to a life of

poverty.

3. CHT Trip for Indigenous Women

Component 5 team visited Chittagong Hill

Tracks (CHT), during 9-13 May, including

visits to Technical Training Centre (TTC) in

Rangamati, the Maonoghar (a local NGO)

Training centre, Rangamati. The team also

visited women from remote villages that

have small weaving businesses.

During the visit, Component 5 team

advisor identified that these women are very

skilful in weaving for making traditional

fabrics, but required additional skills like

sewing, pattern making and marketing

strategies. This would enable them to

produce a wider range of products and to a

wider market and increase their income.

This new scoping mission is part of the upcoming pilot for the Pre Voc 2 course to increase the skills and

livelihoods through self or group employment at their villages.

Student of Maonoghar VTC in Rangamati Hill District,

learning pit loom weaving skills

TVET Reform Project Newsletter – June 2011 6

Conservative estimation of Disability rate in

Bangladesh is about 10% among total population,

which approximates to over 16 million people!

Disability and poverty are closely linked. In developing countries, disabled persons are accounted for 15-20% of

the poor according to the World Bank estimation and ADB recognized the approximately 800 million people (25%)

of the Asia-Pacific region’s population are impacted by disability in their families. Poverty likely to cause more

people to become the disabled because of the possibility of exposure to poor nutrition, dangerous working and

living conditions, limited access to healthcare, poor hygiene and sanitation, inadequate information about causes of

impairment, war, conflict, and natural disasters,

of which the most cases could be preventable.

The environment in Bangladesh is difficult to

support the wellbeing, growth and development

of PWDs. The exclusion towards disabilities in

Bangladesh costs approximately as high at 18%

compared other countries. It is literally costing

the country billions.

The Bangladesh Disabled Welfare Act-2001,

called for action to improve opportunities for

PWDs through increasing their access and

participation in skills development programmes

at ILO Dhaka office, recognizing and concerning

the lack of implementation of domestic laws and

polices despite the fact their regime of

commitment.

The main goal of ILO is to achieve full and

productive employment and decent work for all,

including PWD’s. As a part of the ILO mandate, the

ILO’s Disability Programme promotes equality of

opportunity and treatment for PWD’s in vocational

rehabilitation, training and employment, under the ILO Convention No. 159 concerning Vocational Rehabilitation of

Employment of Disabled persons, 1983, and the ILO Code of Practice on Managing Disability in the Workplace adopted in

2001. Also it has been given renewed impetus following the entry into force of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the

Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in May 2008.

With growing recent disability movement and strengthened rights-based approach, the ILO has begun a transition

toward the gradual inclusion of disability into its knowledge development, advocacy, and technical cooperation activities.

Realized by employers’ needs, the ILO has developed ‘ILO Global business and Disability Network’, a global network of

multinational companies, existing employers and business networks on disability, along with representatives of disabled

persons’ organisations by having companies integrate disability into the workplace and their strategic business plans.

The network is a joint activity of the Employers’ Bureau and the Disability Team in the Skills and Employability

Department, operating out of the ILO headquarters office in Geneva.

If you have further information on ILO & Disabilities, Please contact to ILO Disability Hotline +41 022 -799 6192 or

DISABILITY@ILO.ORG

Prime Minister urged private sectors to create

more jobs to PWDs

Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, has called upon private

entrepreneurs to be committed and helpful towards all physically and

mentally challenged people and children. She emphasized to employ them and

create jobs for them, giving more opportunities on the 4th International

Autism Awareness Day and the 13th National Day of Persons with Disability at

Osmani Memorial Auditorium.

“Please don’t neglect the persons with disabilities

and autistic children. It is the responsibility of the

state and every person of the society to ensure all

facilities for the physically challenged and autistic

people and children.”By Sheikh Hasina, PM of

Bangladesh

Source:

http://www.daily-

sun.com/?view=details&type=daily_sun_news&pub_no=176&cat_id=1&me

nu_id=10&news_type_id=1&news_id=36534&archiev=yes&arch_date=03-

04-2011

http://bdnews24.com

Disabilities and Bangladesh

ILO and PWD’s

TVET Reform Project Newsletter – June 2011 7

Kamol Chandra was born in a small village of Norshindi district. His father is a farmer and mother is a housewife. He has two brothers and a sister. He could study in a school with his brothers. Kamol was in class seven. While his father being a farmer has a very limited income, he could not afford to continue to bear the cost of the education. This forced Kamol to stop study.

Because of the pressure of poverty, his father sent him to his Uncle’s house in Dhaka, where he started to work in a shoe factory. The working condition was really bad. Kamol worked 12 to 14 hours every day, six and half days a week. He got Tk1500 per month only. The working environment was

unhealthy and unhygienic with dusts. There were no safety devices even without masks. However, there was no option to him but working.

Nonetheless, Kamol kept on dreaming that he would be a successful man in life so that he can reduce the poverty for his family, although he had no idea how to do. Meanwhile, the skill development training programme of UIE project identified young workers in a hazardous workplace. The Employment Support Officer provided this information to Kamol and encouraged him to enrol in VTC. He enrolled in Khilgaon VTC and completed his course on motorcycle service mechanics in due time.

Kamol is now 19 years old, working with Walton motorcycle service workshop at Khilgoan branch. He gets Tk

5000 as remuneration, plus Tk 85 per day more for breakfast, lunch and conveyance purpose. The working hours

are 8 hours a day with 30 minutes lunch break and six days in a week.

Kamol dreams of running a business for his own of motorcycle service mechanics workshop with showroom in his

area (Norsghindi) or in Dhaka city.

‘’I am very happy to work in this service centre within a team, and now at least I am able to buy a good quality T-shirt for

me and help much better my family members.”

By Kamol Chandra Moni

Kamol Chandra Moni working in a very informal small shoe factory but he is currently in

Walton motorcycle servicing workshop

A Successful Story …

…A Graduate Student from VTC under ILO UIE Project,

Technical Assistance with Component 5, TVET Reform

Project

TVET Reform Project Newsletter – June 2011 8

Copyright © International Labour Organization 2011

The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the International Labour

Office of the opinions expressed in them.

The government of Bangladesh is

promoting a more responsive TVET system through

the following three major projects:

the TVET Reform Project (2008-2012)

utilising European Union (EU) grant funds

and involving contributions from the ILO

and Government of Bangladesh (GOB);

the Skills Development Project (2009-

2013) utilising a loan from the Asian

Development Bank (ADB) and grant funds

from SDC; and

the Skills Training Enhancement

Project(2010-2014) utilising a loan from

the World Bank.

About the ILO

The ILO is the international

organisation responsible for drawing up and

overseeing international labour standards. It is

the only 'tripartite' United Nations agency that

brings together representatives of

governments, employers and workers to

jointly shape policies and programmes

promoting Decent Work for all. This unique

arrangement gives the ILO an edge in

incorporating 'real world' knowledge about

employment and work.

TVET Reform Project

Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) Mr. Arthur Earl SHEARS ashears@ilo.org Address

TVET Reform Project, ILO Dhaka Office House # 12, Road # 12(New), Dhanmondi R/A Dhaka, Bangladesh Telephone

+88 – 02 – 8114705, 9112876, 9112836, 9120649

Fax

+88 – 02 – 9135208 Email

TVETReform@ilo.org

Please visit TVET Reform Project Webpage! You can also find this News Letter online. http://www.ilo.org/dhaka/Whatwedo/Projects/lang--en/WCMS_106485/index.htm ILO Dhaka Office http://www.ilo.org/dhaka/lang--en/index.htm

ILO Asia Regional Office http://www.ilo.org/asia/lang--en/index.htm Editor of this issue: Miji CHOI dac_intern_tvet@ilo.org

Contacts