ADB provides $150mn to improve technical, vocational training in Bangladesh

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Bangladesh today signed a $150 million loan agreement to improve technical and vocational education and training (TVET), aiming to enhance access to decent employment and boost the country’s global market competitiveness.

Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky, Secretary of Economic Relations Division (ERD), and Hoe Yun Jeong, Country Director of ADB, signed the loan agreement on behalf of Bangladesh and ADB, respectively, at a ceremony at ERD in Dhaka today.

“Aligned with the country’s economic diversification priorities, the program targets five key technology clusters: mechanical, electronics and electrical, information and communication technology, civil, and food and agriculture,” said Country Director Hoe Yun Jeong.

“It supports Bangladesh’s priority agenda of job creation, addresses non-income dimensions of poverty and social exclusion, and enhances access to decent employment and competitiveness in the global market, aligned with the government’s Integrated TVET Development Action Plan (ITDAP)”.

The results-based assistance for the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Teachers for the Future Program will expand access to modern teacher training—especially in underserved regions outside Dhaka; improve the pedagogical and technical skills of educators in emerging technologies; and strengthen systems for teacher development, management, and reporting.

By the program’s conclusion, at least 10,000 new and existing TVET teachers will have enhanced their capacities, positively impacting over 250,000 students. The program will also establish a nationwide system for continuous professional development to ensure the sustained quality and relevance of TVET in Bangladesh.