According to the current government’s electoral promise, the target has been set to create 10 million jobs abroad for Bangladeshis in the next five years, said the Minister of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Nurul Haque Nur.
He made this statement on Saturday afternoon after visiting the Bangladesh-Korea Technical Training Centre in Chattogram.
The minister stated, “To achieve this goal, the government is giving top priority to reducing migration costs and creating skilled manpower. Until now, many have not been able to achieve the desired standard of living abroad due to the high number of unskilled workers going overseas. Therefore, we are focusing on developing skilled labour through technical training.”
The minister revealed that currently, under the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare, there are 110 Technical Training Centres (TTCs), including 6 marine TTCs and 104 general TTCs. These centres offer training in 58 different trades.
He mentioned that the infrastructure of these TTCs is, in many cases, better than that of polytechnic institutes. However, due to a lack of coordination between various ministries and departments, similar activities are being conducted separately. The government’s goal is to reduce wasteful expenditure and ensure effective training through better coordination.
Nurul Haque Nur also informed that plans are underway to construct an additional 50 new TTCs, especially in expatriate-dominated areas such as Chattogram, Cumilla, Faridpur, and Shariatpur.
However, he made it clear that unnecessary infrastructure would not be built in areas where there is low demand for trainees due to local influence or lobbying.
He further added, “Many TTCs are still using old equipment. We plan to modernise these centres by providing up-to-date equipment and training facilities so that workers can become familiar with modern technologies in the global market.”
During the visit, the minister was accompanied by the Additional Director General of the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), Ashraf Hossain, and other senior officials.
