The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has trained over 4,600 workers through its Enterprise-Based Training (EBT) programme, in collaboration with the World Bank-funded Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation (ASSET) project.
The programme aims to strengthen the country’s ready-made garment (RMG) sector through industry-led skills development, sustainable growth, and employment generation.
Skills Development Initiative
Technical and Madrasah Education Division Secretary Md Daud Mia attended a workshop to review the progress of the EBT programme, where certificates were distributed to successful trainees.
The ASSET project, implemented by the Directorate of Technical Education, has supported BGMEA in conducting EBT to develop demand-driven skilled manpower and improve productivity in the garment industry.
A total of 4,632 trainees have been enrolled through 193 batches across three training cycles, with 2,328 trainees receiving certificates from 97 batches under the second and third cycles.
Industry-Led Skills Development
Secretary Md Daud Mia emphasized the importance of skilled human resources in achieving Bangladesh’s national economic goals, stating that the BGMEA-ASSET collaboration has made a significant contribution to enhancing productivity and workforce capacity in the garment sector.
He urged BGMEA to provide recommendations for future programmes aimed at strengthening industry-academia collaboration and producing demand-based skilled manpower.
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Mia also stressed that workers’ competency should be upgraded to National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) Levels 3 and 4 to enable the country’s largest employment-generating sector to remain competitive in the global market.
According to the report, the current ASSET project will conclude in December 2026, but the government plans to continue launching new initiatives for skills development.
Garment Industry Development
BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan said the garment industry must become more skilled and technologically advanced to keep pace with global competition and rapid technological changes.
He described the Enterprise-Based Training model as a proven approach to improving workplace skills and thanked the government for supporting human resource development through the ASSET and other projects.
Khan expressed hope that appropriate policy support would further accelerate employment generation and the sector’s overall growth, as the current BGMEA leadership is committed to increasing exports and creating greater value addition by developing a skilled workforce.
The Director General of the Directorate of Technical Education, Abul Khayer Md Akkas Ali, and other officials attended the programme, which was held at the BGMEA Complex in Uttara.
The ready-made garment sector is a significant contributor to Bangladesh’s economy, and initiatives like the BGMEA-ASSET programme are expected to play a key role in its development.
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