Switzerland has pledged to strengthen its support for technical education and vocational training to help transform Bangladesh’s workforce into internationally competitive skilled professionals. The country also expressed its willingness to continue assisting in the rehabilitation and skills development of returning migrant workers.
The issues were discussed during a courtesy meeting between Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury and Swiss Ambassador to Bangladesh Reto Renggli on Sunday.
During the meeting, the minister said many Bangladeshi migrant workers have been forced to return home due to ongoing conflicts and instability in the Middle East. Ensuring their rehabilitation, employment opportunities and social protection has therefore become a priority.
He praised Switzerland’s support through the International Labour Organization and expressed hope that the cooperation would continue in the future.
Ariful Haque Chowdhury also thanked Switzerland for providing technical assistance to improve the Overseas Employment Platform (OEP). He sought further support to enhance the platform’s effectiveness through improved manpower demand management, integration of medical centres, upgrading of the job portal and the launch of a dedicated mobile application.
He said the government is placing the highest priority on ensuring safe working conditions, workers’ welfare, social protection and skills development. Efforts are underway to expand technical and vocational training programmes in line with the demands of the global labour market.
The minister noted that skilled Bangladeshi workers could make significant contributions to Switzerland’s specialised sectors, including healthcare, caregiving, information technology, engineering, hospitality and construction. He also called for increased scholarship opportunities for Bangladeshi students and researchers in Switzerland.
Ambassador Renggli said the partnership developed between Bangladesh and Switzerland over the past 15 years would continue to grow stronger. He emphasised the importance of the economic and social reintegration of returning migrant workers.
Referring to Bangladesh’s demographic dividend, the ambassador said creating sufficient employment opportunities at home is just as important as overseas job placement. He assured that Switzerland would continue to share its long-standing expertise to help develop a more skilled and globally competitive Bangladeshi workforce.