How and why TVET can regenerate employment among the youth

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has gained popularity as a term in the broad field of education in our country. However - and unfortunately - the popularity did not quite transpire to promote the social image of TVET and people - by and large - still do not take it seriously.

And the consequences are far-reaching. The failure to effectively promote and develop TVET is due to structural and systemic barriers. 

More than a decade ago, through the initiative of the TVET reform project of the government, it was highly expected that TVET gained momentum and that we would see a new shape of it in the near future. The government enacted the National Education Policy 2010 with a due emphasis on TVET.

Not only that, in the very next year (2011), the government gave us a very specific policy for TVET that is known as the National Skills Development Policy 2011, which has an ambitious vision and road map for TVET development in the country. 

An apex body named the National Skills Development Council (later in 2018 it was renamed as the National Skills Development Authority) was established in 2008 under the Prime Minister's office to coordinate the whole TVET eco-system development in the country.

At the same time, through the TVET reform project, we had seen some historical initiatives to introduce and establish new approaches to skills development and quality assurance systems. Among those, the Competency Based Training and Assessment system, the National Technical and Vocational Qualification Framework, the formation of Industry Skills Councils that introduced the Recognition of Prior Learning, etc, were prominent.

All these efforts were great steps, but as I mentioned earlier, the expected results did not materialise. In my opinion, one of the root causes of the slow progress and poor outcomes of this new skills development system is that it is missing a potential target group. 

It is evident from various initiatives taken by the government, so far, for TVET in the country that the major emphasis regarding target groups - the recipients of vocational skills training - has been given to people with specific needs, that is, the people who are under-represented, vulnerable, low-educated, minorities, etc.

This is evident in the National Skills Development Policy 2011. While the focus on marginalised people or minority groups is commendable, a major missing link prevails. 

A huge number of university graduates remain unemployed every year. The data from various studies, including the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, shows that the higher the education, the higher the unemployment rate among the youth.

According to the Bangladesh Labour Force Survey for 2016-2017, the highest unemployment rate (11.2%), was found among youths with tertiary education, and the second highest unemployment rate (6.4%), was among the youth with secondary or post-secondary education. Another study conducted by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, BIDS, reveals that around 39% of university graduates are unemployed.

This young, educated labour force could be a better contributor to the overall productivity and economic growth factor of the country, but unfortunately, they have remained hugely unaddressed by the overall TVET system. They remained unskilled and thus unemployed year after year. 

On the other hand, a good number of foreign nationals work in our industry at mid to senior levels. This is perhaps another crux of the problem. It is a national loss. 

The young, educated and unemployed population of the country need to be prioritised and made one of the primary targets of TVET systems - as a means to better equip them for the present and future job market. 

It is well understood that the future growth of the country's economy heavily relies on the merit and skills of the country's youth. And it is through the use of TVET that this group can be transformed into a skilled labour force.

To disrupt the pattern and affairs of unemployment, institutions and people in positions of power and influence need to think out of the box and incentivise and motivate university graduates to pursue TVET courses.

We cannot let each year's university graduates fall into the trap of unemployment anymore. Under the same breath, we cannot do good by blaming our education system for its poor administration and poor quality. Despite the shortcomings of the existing education system, there are still hundreds of talented youth - the products of the education system - who are excelling in various industries. And we cannot, realistically, overhaul our education system overnight. 

Keeping all this in mind, the need for the hours is that we overhaul the mindset of our young generation. These unemployed, educated youths should be targeted and brought into the skills development system.

The unemployed and educated youth population have the potential and even the foundation to professionally excel in various industries. They just need to connect the proper dots to fill up the gaps. They need to sharpen their tools of soft-employability skills (soft skills) and job skills (hard skills). 

If one has the job-skills, it will automatically build one's confidence and gradually boost one's soft skills. But the reverse does not happen. It is possible to learn any specific job skills within a short span of time with a dedicated effort, and this is the point where the TVET system proves to be critical; this is the point where it needs to intervene.

Providing TVET for the unemployed, educated youths will reduce the unemployment rates, increase the social image of TVET, and bring multifaceted social and economic benefits to our country.

Mohd. Abdul Mannan / Chief Coordinator, BASIS-SEIP Project