The Ministry of Education and the International Labour Organization (ILO), Bangladesh on Sunday jointly launched a new project titled ‘Promoting Gender Responsive Enterprise Development and TVET Systems (ProGRESS)’ aimed at building a foundation for inclusive skill system for women, reports BSS.

Education minister Dipu Moni inaugurated the project at an event at a city hotel to strengthen the TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) and enterprise development systems, aiming to make these more inclusive and accessible for women by working on policies, systems, and operational levels, said a press release.

The Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) and Technical and Madrasah Education Division (TMED) of the Ministry of Education will implement the project with technical assistance from the ILO while the government of Canada is funding the project as a partner.

Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Lilly Nicholls was present at the function as the special guest with Senior Secretary of the TMED Md Kamal Hossain in the chair.

Director General (Additional Secretary) of the DTE of TMED Md Omar Faruque, Country Director of ILO Bangladesh Tuomo Poutiainen and representatives from other development partners and government agencies were also present at the event.

Speaking on the occasion, Dipu Moni said, “An effective TVET and skill development system can help the students to enter the labour market with the right skills for themselves and wage employment, which is crucial for the economic and social empowerment of women”.

The ProGRESS project will make a valuable impact on the government’s plan towards achieving gender equality in Bangladesh, which eventually will reduce poverty, she added.

The project is designed to positively address the issues linked to low labour force participation of female workers both in wage and employment markets; and limited access to business development services required for initiating self-employment, the education minister said.

It will also support the promotion of employability of the female workforce of Bangladesh to improve their economic well-being and maximize their contribution to the national economic growth through strategic improvement in TVET and enterprise development systems to transform them to become more inclusive and accessible for women by gender mainstreaming policy advocacy, enterprise development and skills training, Dipu Moni added.

Canadian High Commissioner Lilly Nicholls said, “The ProGRESS project is designed to help address major challenges and barriers that disproportionately hinder the female labour force of Bangladesh from equitably and productively participating in the labour market in a sustainable and resilient manner”.

Speaking at the event, ILO Country Director Tuomo Poutiainen said, “ILO is supporting the Bangladesh government to implement the 4^th Decent Work Country Programme 2022-26 where one of the important priorities of it is gender equality and ending gender-based violence: empowering women and girls”.

ProGRESS project will address the DWCP’s major pillars inclusive of decent employment creation and ending gender-based violence, he added.