Bridging Bangladesh’s skills gap

Bangladesh's vocational training sector has expanded rapidly in recent years, particularly in information and communications technology (ICT). Thousands of private training centres now operate across the country, offering similar types of courses in areas such as web development, hardware maintenance, and digital marketing. However, the absence of a standardised system of curriculum design, delivery, and assessment has contributed to wide disparities in the quality of training offered.

To address these challenges, the Government established the National Skills Development Authority (NSDA). NSDA's role includes coordinating training institutions, creating Competency Standards (CS) approving curricula for a wide range of trades. Standardised training not only allows trainees to undergo uniform assessments and receive government-recognised certification, but also facilitates better connections between training institutions and employers. 

Addressing evolving market demands

Unfortunately, the skills development domain faces some persistent challenges in keeping up with the continuously evolving industries' changing skills demand. New trades and occupations continue to emerge in both the ICT and agro-processing sectors, as industries adopt new technologies and expand production. As a result, continuously updating existing curricula or development new curricula for new trades has become essential. 

In response, NSDA and partner organisations have begun developing and validating curricula for emerging roles. One such partner is Swisscontact's Building Youth Employment Through Skills (BYETS) programme, which is working to fill gaps in both ICT and agro-processing training.

BYETS has been working closely with seven large-scale local manufacturers in the food industry to strengthen the compliance-related knowledge and skills of their workers. As these companies are already exporting to international markets and are keen to expand further, ensuring that their workforce is well-versed in global compliance standards is not just beneficial—it is essential. In the food industry, compliance with international standards is critical, as failure to meet these requirements can restrict access to global markets and limit business growth.

To address this need, the BYETS project introduced work-based training directly at the factory level, helping workers gain practical knowledge on maintaining international compliance standards. However, during implementation, it became clear that standardising this training could deliver even greater value to both the industry and its workforce.

To respond to this gap, BYETS collaborated with the NSDA and the Agro Food Industry Skills Council (AFISC) to develop a CS titled 'Production Supervisor for the Food Industry'. This CS is designed to support the development of a more skilled supervisory workforce, capable of managing production processes while ensuring adherence to global compliance requirements. The CS has already been approved by NSDA and is now publicly available for any training facility to adopt.

Moreover, BYETS is actively encouraging manufacturers to register as NSDA-approved training providers. This would allow companies to deliver in-house training using the new CS, certify their employees at their own convenience, and significantly reduce training costs. Most importantly, it will enhance their readiness to meet international export standards, making their businesses more competitive and sustainable in the global market.

Modernising ICT training

In the ICT sector, training remains popular but uneven. While the number of programmes has grown, many are based on outdated content and fail to reflect current industry needs. Most courses focus on a few saturated trades, leaving other high-demand areas underserved.

BYETS began its work in the ICT sector by offering training in widely recognised trades such as digital marketing, graphic design, and web development. However, early field experience revealed a significant gap: while many development programs continue to focus on these common trades, there is a growing demand for niche ICT skills that are highly valued in today's job market. One such trade is Software Quality Assurance (SQA)—a critical function in the software development lifecycle that ensures the quality and reliability of digital products.

Recognising this opportunity, the BYETS project, in collaboration with private sector partners, initiated a training program in SQA. However, the team quickly discovered that no national Competency Standard (CS) existed for this trade, making it difficult to offer structured, certifiable training.

To address this challenge, BYETS partnered with the ICT Industry Skills Council (ISC) and jointly worked to develop a formal Competency Standard for SQA. By doing so, the project not only filled a key policy and operational gap but also paved the way for standardised training delivery. This development now enables the training to be aligned with NSDA certification, allowing learners to gain nationally recognised qualifications in a high-demand ICT trade.

Potential benefits and broader impacts

One feature of the NSDA framework is that once a curriculum is approved, it is treated as a public asset—available for use by any Registered Training Organisation. This model can reduce the cost and administrative burden on smaller institutions, which would otherwise need to develop their own materials from scratch. It also opens the door to greater collaboration across institutions and industries.

Certification under the NSDA framework is also intended to enhance the employability of trainees, both domestically and internationally. Additional employment opportunities may also arise through the training system itself. As more training institutions seek registration and alignment with NSDA standards, there will be demand for assessors and trainers accredited under the national framework.

Implementation and next steps

New trades are constantly emerging in the ICT and agro-processing sectors to meet the growing demands of niche markets and innovative products and services introduced by the industry. To keep up with these rapidly evolving sectors, it is essential that we act swiftly to update our regulatory frameworks, particularly in areas like certification processes and competency standards. Without timely reforms, our youth will remain unprepared to meet the skill requirements of the global market, limiting their employability and competitiveness.

With Bangladesh expecting to add millions more workers to its labour force over the next decade, ensuring the consistency and quality of skills training will remain a central concern for policymakers and educators alike.

The BYETS project is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and implemented by Swisscontact.