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Skills development in Bangladesh

Building a skilled, inclusive, and future-ready workforce across Bangladesh

BRAC's skills development program creates pathways from skills to sustainable livelihoods. 96% of people in Bangladesh lack the skills needed to participate in the production sector.

Drawing inspiration from Bangladesh’s traditional culture of on-the-job apprenticeships, our flagship program is commonly referred to as STAR, a market-based skills training model. The model blends community-based learning with cutting edge vocational training, digital skills development and soft skills, and direct connections to decent work opportunities.

Its results include a 22.6% rise in labor market participation, 59% more income-generating activities, and 44% growth in average income. The program has also played a vital role in preventing child marriages, with 62% of female trainees avoiding early marriage.

In addition to implementing community-based programming, we also run skills training institutes. BRAC Institute of Skills Development currently operates 15 training institutes in 45 districts, prioritizing underserved tier-two cities.


Our impact

578,068

people equipped with skills, 62% of which are women

A woman looks through safety glass while welding

8,000

women trained in non-traditional trades

A table holds a small stack of cash recovered on behalf of women

57%

average household income increase after skills training

Skills development program: short documentary

A young woman addresses her classmates during a retail sales classroom training
Shanjir Hossain / BRAC
Retail sales classroom training session at the project training centre, Dhaka

46,000 young people received integrated skills training and job placement support

10,737 persons with disabilities and 403 gender-diverse people equipped with employable skills

37,000 people trained in employability and entrepreneurship, or 1 in every 7 young person trained through Bangladesh's formal TVET system

Skills development to create employment for the youthFeatured - Header Image
It costs a few hundred dollars to equip a girl with skills through an apprenticeship, which far outweighs the cost of their untapped potential.”

Asif Saleh

BRAC Executive Director


A woman looks through safety glass while welding

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