Employment generation through vocational training

Thousands of young people in the country are bearing the curse of unemployment due to a lack of adequate technical or vocational education. Frustration stemming from joblessness is dampening their spirits. They are becoming a liability for the country instead of an asset. Time-befitting technical and vocational education and skills are ways of absolving them of the stigma of joblessness. There are people who, equipped with proper skills, even do not care for employment, rather they create employment for themselves and others by becoming entrepreneurs.

These people have great demand in their native land and in the global job markets. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis went to different countries, particularly in the Middle East countries, in search of greener pastures. But all of them are not skilled workers. Those who went abroad without equipping themselves with the requisite vocational education and skills are doing menial jobs. Since they have no bargaining power, they have to accept whatever jobs are offered to them.

The opportunity to get government jobs is very limited in the country. After completion of education, thousands of youths are crowding the job market every year. But very few of them are fortunate enough to get the same.

According to a report published in this newspaper on Monday, speakers at three separate industrial seminars urged for boosting the recruitment of polytechnic graduates. Speakers at the seminars said for Bangladesh to achieve sustainable economic growth and enjoy the advantage of its large demography, it is crucial to develop human resources with a better foundation of skills and knowledge.

There are immense possibilities for the youths of the country to become self-reliant by engaging themselves in various income-generating activities. They can do it by gaining technical education and skills from the technical training centres. There are technical training centres at the district headquarters. After receiving training from the centres the enterprising youths can go abroad for suitable jobs. Those who are not willing to go abroad can set up projects of their choice.

In this way, they can achieve solvency and improve the economic conditions of their families remarkably. Such technical training centres can also be set up at upazila levels to facilitate the people living at the grassroots level. The government should emphasize making the country’s technical and vocational training institutions need-oriented and effective for generating a more competent workforce to meet the growing national needs.

Vocational education programmes focus on the acquisition of appropriate skills, abilities and competencies as necessary equipment for the individual to live in adapt to the real work situation and contribute to the development of his society. It assists all young people to secure their future by enhancing their transition to a lot of opportunities after school. Vocational and technical education can be seen as an aspect of education which utilizes scientific knowledge in the acquisition of practical and applied skills in the solution of technical problems. It is the process of acquiring attitude, knowledge, and competencies relating to occupations in various factors of economics and social life.

It has also been described as the education that prepares students mainly for occupations requiring manipulative skills and is designed to develop skills, abilities, understanding, attitude and work habits needed for a useful and productive basis. This can provide employment for its recipients and an important practical skill development programme designed to equip persons of trainable qualities with skills that employers of labour want in the industries it is considered as the launching pad for technological development.