Lack of training leaves Bangladesh’s youth largely unskilled

Today, July 15, World Youth Skills Day is being observed in Bangladesh as well across the globe. The theme in this year for the day is ‘Youth Empowerment Through AI and Digital Skills.’

Bangladesh is marking the day with various programs.

Sources said, more than half of the total population in Bangladesh are youth which is mostly a matter of optimism.

But while we focus the scenario of skill training in the country all the optimism become faded.

Data shows nearly half of the country's population is between the ages of 15 and 35. The latest Labour Force Survey (2023) shows that, out of 117.1 million working-age people, nearly 40 million remain outside employment.

It shows the country's labor force aged 15 to 29 stands at approximately 26.8 million.

Of them, about 1.94 million are unemployed, representing an unemployment rate of 7.2 percent. More concerning is that nearly 79 percent of all unemployed people in Bangladesh fall within this age group.

Experts said, while huge number of our youth population creates hope of build a rich nation, then the acute shortages of training facilities are compelling those youth to stay unskilled.

Sources said, targeting to increase the export of skilled workers to overseas labour markets, Bangladesh has established 104 Technical Training Centres (TTCs) and six Institutes of Marine Technology (IMTs) across the country. Operated under the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), these institutions provide employment-oriented training in 55 trades. In the 2022–23 fiscal year alone, they trained more than 1.175 million workers. However, according to data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), nearly 90 percent of Bangladeshi migrant workers leave for overseas jobs without receiving any training relevant to their occupations.

More Than Half of Trainer Posts Vacant at BMET's TTCs and IMTs

The Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), the government's principal institution for developing skilled manpower, has been facing a severe shortage of trainers at its Technical Training Centers (TTCs) and Institutes of Marine Technology (IMTs) for years. Official data show that a large number of trainer and technical instructor positions remain vacant, making it difficult for many institutions to deliver training at the desired standard.

According to BMET's 2022 staffing data, only 1,168 officials and employees were in service against 2,500 approved positions across its training institutions. As a result, 1,332 posts remained vacant—equivalent to 53.3 percent of the total approved positions. In other words, with more than half of the positions unfilled, the institutions have been facing significant challenges in conducting effective training programs.

The shortage is particularly acute in the Senior Instructor category. Across diploma and non-diploma streams, only 198 officials were in service against 546 approved positions, leaving 348 posts vacant, or 63.7 percent of the total.

The situation is also serious for Instructor positions. Of 885 approved posts, only 555 were filled, leaving 330 vacancies, equivalent to 37.3 percent.

The shortage is even more severe in subject-based instructor positions. Only 31 instructors were serving against 227 approved posts, leaving 196 vacancies, or 86.3 percent.

The leadership positions of TTCs also suffer from significant staffing shortages. Of 306 approved Chief Instructor posts, 171 were vacant, while 51 out of 81 Principal positions remained unfilled. The vacancy rates for these positions stood at 55.9 percent and 63 percent, respectively.

The staffing crisis is equally evident at the Institutes of Marine Technology (IMTs). Of 43 approved Senior Instructor posts, 30 were vacant, representing a vacancy rate of 69.8 percent. Similarly, 41 out of 85 Instructor posts at BMIT and IMTs remained vacant.

The most severe shortage was recorded in Craft Instructor positions at BMIT, where only 2 out of 30 approved posts were filled, leaving 93.3 percent vacant. Meanwhile, 6 out of 15 instructor posts in science, mathematics, and computer subjects at IMTs were also vacant.

Several recent reports on the sector have identified the shortage of trainers as one of BMET's biggest challenges. In many newly established TTCs, government-appointed instructors are unavailable, forcing authorities to rely on a limited number of outsourced trainers. Stakeholders say this has made it difficult to maintain the quality and continuity of training.

Technical education and skills development experts stress that strengthening BMET's training institutions is essential to producing a skilled workforce and meeting the demands of overseas labor markets. They emphasize the urgent need to fill long-vacant trainer and technical instructor positions to address the country's growing skills gap.

What Experts and Stakeholders Say

Talking with Asia Post on the issue, Professor Dr. Asif Mizan, VC, Daru Salam University, Somalia, said, “Curriculum Overhaul and Internationalization: The curriculum must undergo a comprehensive transformation by adopting the Outcome-Based Education (OBE) model. Theoretical and practical instruction in emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Science, and Blockchain should be made mandatory at every level of higher education.”

The Professor also said, “A strong institutional partnership must be established between universities and industry. Expanding internships, collaborative research, and the joint development of market-driven curricula will help bridge the skills gap and better prepare graduates for the evolving job market.”

When contacted, Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury Noman, former Secretary General of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) told Asia Post, “More than half of our population is youth which is a very good luck for the nation, but when the state failed to train them with the latest technology and skills, they become burden instead of assets.”

The manpower sector leader said, “We failed to get sufficient number of skill manpower while its demand is high across the globe.

Finally, the recruiting agencies become compelled to send unskilled manpower abroad, what a bad luck for a nation!”

Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury Noman said also that the training courses of BMET’s institutions are not time befitting. Their curriculum is also not fulfilling the demand of the contemporary world market.

BAIRA former Joint-Secretary General-1, Mohammad Fakhrul Islam also echoed the same.

He said, most of the teachers and instructors posts of the TTCs and IMTs are remaining vacant year after year. So, the youths who admit to those technical institutions failed to learn skills.

What Officials say

BMET Director General Jamil Ahmed could not be reached while trying over phone repeatedly. He even did not reply the text sending to his cell phone.

Contacted, MD. MASUD ANAM, Statistical Officer, BMET told Asia Post, “About 20 to 22 instructor and teachers for those TTCs and IMTs were joined in 2025.”

This number was against the nearly 1500 vacant posts of those technical institutions.

Messages

On the occasion of World Youth Skills Day, separate messages were issued by President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The National Skills Development Authority (NSDA), along with various government and private organizations, has organized rallies, discussion meetings, seminars, and other skill development programs across the country.

Meanwhile, the General Economics Division's (GED) policy paper titled Harnessing the Potentials of Youth presents an even more alarming picture. It states that around 5.5 million young people aged 15 to 24 are currently not engaged in education, employment, or training (NEET). The same report also notes that the unemployment rate among graduates of the National University stands at 28.24 percent.

A survey conducted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) found that 93.4 percent of Bangladeshis had not received any form of training, even for a single day, over the past three years. Yet more than half of the respondents said they needed job-related training. As a result of this skills gap, many people are unable to secure suitable employment in either the formal or informal sectors.

Global perspective

Following a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2014, World Youth Skills Day has been observed globally every year since 2015. The day aims to highlight the importance of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in preparing a skilled workforce for employment.

Against the backdrop of the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI), digital technologies, and the green economy, UNESCO-UNEVOC has emphasized equipping young people with future-ready skills.

According to recent UNESCO-UNEVOC data, the global skills gap has reached an alarming level. Around 273 million children and young people worldwide remain out of the education system. One in five people aged 15 to 34 has never participated in any formal skills development program. At the same time, the skills of 40 percent of the current workforce do not match labor market demands. Due to rapid technological change, nearly 22 percent of the global workforce will need to transition into new occupations or adapt to new forms of work by 2030.