State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Shofiqur Rahman Choudhury on Sunday emphasised the importance of converting skilled workers into valuable manpower for overseas employment, urging that the remittances earned by these workers be sent home through legal channels.
Speaking as the chief guest at a workshop on housekeeping courses held at Dhaka Technical Teachers Training Institute, Shofiqur said, "In our activities, those who wish to go abroad are capacitated to acquire various technical knowledge and language skills."
Accepting the barriers to proper migration, Shofiqur said, "Since Technical Training Centres (TTCs) use outdated equipment for training, it cannot be utilised by the new generation. Therefore, under the direction of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, arrangements are being made to install modern and up-to-date equipment in the training centres."
The state minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment emphasised the need for comprehensive training programmes for expatriate workers and ongoing professional development for trainers, according to a press release.
He said, "We need to arrange training for expatriate workers and continuous training for trainers on modern technology. I hope that with the integration of modern equipment, we can revamp our technical training centres within a short period."
Underscoring the critical role of language skills for workers aspiring to go abroad, he stated that it is essential to highlight the various trades available at our TTCs and the specific training programmes we offer to workers. This information must be made easily accessible, and we need to ensure proper publicity as well.
Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) Director General (Grade-1) Saleh Ahmed Mujaffor was also present at the event.
Addressing the housekeeping course trainers, Shofiqur said, "You must consider the trainees as members of your own family. Treat them well. Remember, we built the Padma Bridge with our funding. We can modernise these training centres by overcoming all kinds of obstacles.
"I am aware of all the problems faced by the expatriates. I feel their hardships. Efforts will continue towards solving all the problems faced by the expatriates. I will always work as one of you," he expressed.
