Koica and Unicef complete Bangladesh skills project for young women's employment

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Bangladesh skills project for women

Highlights

Unicef and Koica completed a skills programme for Bangladeshi girls and young women aged 15–24, providing vocational training, apprenticeships, job support, and entrepreneurship assistance.
The initiative connected aspiring women entrepreneurs with financial institutions and emphasized communication skills alongside technical skills for sustainable employment.
The project addressed social barriers to women's economic participation through community engagement and behaviour change efforts, aiming for long-term economic inclusion.

Project scope and implementation timeline

As reported by The Business Standard, citing Unicef in a press release issued today, the programme focuses on girls and young women aged 15 to 24 with vocational and transferable skills training, workplace apprenticeships, employment support and entrepreneurship assistance. The initiative is titled "Empowering out-of-school adolescent girls and young women with market-driven occupational skills, transferable skills, and job placements" and is implemented by Unicef with government agencies and local partners.

The project also links aspiring entrepreneurs with financial institutions so they can access relevant financial services. Its closing ceremony is held in Dhaka, where State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Boby Hajjaj attends as chief guest.

Boby says technical skills need to be matched with communication abilities so young people can present themselves confidently and adapt to different situations. He says skill development is vital for young people, but technical skills alone are not enough.

Economic inclusion and longer-term impact

The programme is presented as part of South Korea's support for building young women's skills and economic potential in Bangladesh. The Country Director of Koica Bangladesh says its importance lies not only in the number of participants reached, but also in linking training with employment, entrepreneurship and greater economic independence.

The initiative also aims to address social barriers that limit young women's participation in education and economic activity through community engagement and social and behaviour change efforts. Unicef Representative a.i. in Bangladesh Gillian Mellsop says these approaches should be sustained and adapted to widen opportunities for future learners.

Bangladesh’s push for results-based development financing was the focus of our earlier coverage, as Dhaka prepared to press the World Bank and IMF to tie funding more directly to measurable outcomes such as jobs created and investment mobilised. We also highlighted concerns over project delays and skills gaps, including the need to better align training with employers’ needs to turn commitments into employment and productive growth.

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