Around 2,000 participants in a skills development programme being run by the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) have been chosen mostly from the neighbourhoods surrounding Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN). Under the Private Investment and Digital Entrepreneurship (PRID) programme, BEZA is anticipated to train and hire some 22,000 individuals from seven economic zones across the nation.
According to many Bangladeshi media reports, BEZA will provide employment chances to the skilled labour force at Abdul Monem, Bangladesh Special Economic Zone (Japanese EZ), Bay, Kishoreganj, Private Economic Zone Meghna, and Sirajganj.
At the first workshop on “Skill Development for Sustainable Business Management in Economic Zones” at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka, BEZA executive chairman Shaikh Yusuf Harun said: “Later, under the skills voucher programme, 20,000 people will be trained and employed according to the skilled manpower needs of investors in various economic zones.” The 2,000-person training programme will shortly begin, with a focus on the impacted residents in the BSMSN area, according to Harun.
BEZA intends to focus primarily on a number of industries, including integrated textiles, leather and leather goods, apparel and industries related to apparel, in order to generate skilled labour. The project would involve a number of government agencies, including the Bangladesh Technical Education Board and the National Skills Development Authority (NSDA), according to Harun.
The PRID project started in 2021 and will last through 2025. It is projected to cost around Tk 127 crore. The World Bank has also given the programme a loan in the amount of Tk 4,347 crore.
