"Now I feel very confident. With my income, I can meet the financial needs of mine and my family. Those who used to look down on me now see me as an inspiration."
This is how Afsana Sultana Ria, a 16-year-old girl from Chakaria upazila in Cox's Bazar, shared her experience of receiving training in computer operation and graphic design under SKILFO.
Mohammad Raihan, a trained auto mechanic who also underwent extensive training under SKILFO, had a similar story to tell. Sharing his experience, he said: “My confidence has increased after receiving training from SKILFO. After gaining work experience, I will open my own garage.”
Like Ria and Raihan, nearly 7,000 adolescents have so far received training under Unicef's pilot project, The Skills-Based Literacy for Out-of-School Adolescents (SKILFO). Many of them have used their newly acquired skills to become successful in their respective fields.
This time, the government of Bangladesh and Unicef are jointly launching the SKILFO program in 16 districts to make school dropout adolescents employable. Experts believe that if the project is properly implemented across the country, it could also help reduce the risks of juvenile delinquency, drug addiction, and child marriage—especially among girls.
The launch of the Skills-Based Literacy for Out-of-School Adolescents (SKILFO) project was announced in the capital on Saturday. At the same time, the successful completion of Unicef’s pilot phase of SKILFO was celebrated.
The SKILFO program is being implemented by the Bureau of Non-Formal Education (BNFE) under the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, with financial support from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and technical support from Unicef.
SKILFO already helping 6,825 adolescents
According to Unicef, the Skills-Based Literacy for Out-of-School Adolescents (SKILFO) program offers out-of-school adolescents aged 14 to 17 a second chance. Participants develop literacy, numeracy, life skills, and vocational competencies. The program introduces the country’s first standardized pre-vocational courses in high-growth sectors such as information technology, hospitality, light engineering, and construction.
It was designed as a pre-vocational program that integrates functional literacy and numeracy with hands-on occupational training in 13 trades aligned with the Bangladesh National Qualifications Framework (BNQF). Training is delivered through three modalities: enterprise-based training paired with master craftspeople, institution-based training through technical institutes, and outstation-based training using under-utilized school labs in remote areas.
So far, SKILFO has reached 6,825 adolescents—55% of them female and 45% male—most of whom were Grade 7 dropouts aged around 17.
Seventeen-year-old Kutub Uddin is one of them. He is from Haldia Palang Union in the Ukhiya sub-district of Cox’s Bazar. In 2023, he dropped out of school in Grade 8 due to his family’s financial crisis. But now, he is a vocational training graduate in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning.
Elaborating on his future goals, he said: “I want to learn more through work and later avail advanced training in order to work in a big industry or set up my own establishment.”
According to Unicef, the project was initially implemented in Cox’s Bazar. Now, this pilot initiative will be expanded to 16 districts, offering over 100,000 out-of-school and NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) adolescents a transformative pathway to foundational literacy and market-relevant skills.
The target areas were selected based on youth demographics, local skills demand, job market potential, and institutional capacity. The SKILFO pilot in Cox’s Bazar focused on functional literacy, numeracy, vocational training, and digital and financial literacy, all aligned with the Bangladesh National Qualifications Framework.
Unicef notes that SKILFO is shifting perceptions of vocational education while also addressing social risks like crime and child marriage. The program’s success lies in its flexible delivery model, alignment with market needs, strong community and employer engagement, and use of existing government infrastructure. Placement rates are high for both genders, with 83.1% for girls and 81.3% for boys, offering a promising model to connect NEET youth to the world of work.
The positive results and evidence generated from the pilot phase have prompted the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education and the Bureau of Non-Formal Education to institutionalize the SKILFO model. This marks a major step toward ensuring that every young person in Bangladesh gains the skills necessary to thrive and contribute productively to society.
Expansion plans include integrating SKILFO into the core Non-Formal Education program and other national projects. This will create more opportunities for NEET adolescents through institutionalized alternative learning pathways. The partnership between BNFE and technical institutes is expected to set a new benchmark for skill-based education in the 21st century by utilizing existing facilities and enterprises.
Expansion of the SKILFO Project
Professor Dr Bidhan Ranjan Roy Podder, adviser to the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, said he expects the project to expand to all 64 districts using the SKILFO model, with slight updates. He said, “If we can achieve this, I believe the current traditional mindset about education in Bangladesh will shift, and skill-focused education will lead.”
Rana Flowers, Unicef representative in Bangladesh, said: “The success of SKILFO proves that out-of-school adolescents and NEET youth with poor levels of literacy can be meaningfully empowered with the right training approaches and the right levels of support and opportunities.” She added, “Strengthening the government’s commitment to inclusive education and youth empowerment is essential for institutionalizing and scaling up SKILFO across Bangladesh. This requires sustained collaboration between the relevant ministries.”
It is known that the Bureau of Non-Formal Education (BNFE), under the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MoPME), designed and piloted the SKILFO initiative in response to Bangladesh’s urgent need for a more inclusive and skills-driven education approach. The program was developed with technical support from Unicef and funding from the Global Partnership for Education Accelerated Fund.
With around 2.2 million people entering the labor market each year but only 1.9% receiving formal skills training, the SKILFO model aims to directly address the country’s growing skills gap and contribute meaningfully to the informal economy.
