Bangladesh Employers’ Federation (BEF) on Wednesday organized a workshop on "Strengthening the Apprenticeship System in Bangladesh" in collaboration with the ProGRESS Project of the International Labour Organization’s country (Bangladesh) office.
The workshop was held at BEF's Gulshan office.
Topics that came up for discussion during the workshop included the overall strengthening of the apprenticeship program in Bangladesh, a move towards private-sector-led apprenticeship programs instead of the existing donor-based ones, and the need to clarify the differences between apprenticeships and internships.
Representatives from the ILO, BEF, and various sectors took part in the discussion.
Participants pointed out that a few apprenticeship programs were regularly being held by companies.
A common forum for existing institutions (BTEB, BMET, NSDA, etc.) to prioritize quality apprenticeships with a yearly follow-up and strategic alignment may encourage other companies to take initiatives for new apprenticeship programs, they said.
They also proposed a dual financing model for quality apprenticeships, where the government will be responsible for 70% of the investment and the industry the remaining 30%.
