Muktadir stresses skilled workforce for labour-intensive industries

Industries, Commerce and Textiles and Jute Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir today said the government is prioritising the development of skilled manpower to support the expansion of labour-intensive manufacturing industries.

"Given Bangladesh's large population and limited land resources, expansion of labour-intensive manufacturing industries is one of the effective ways to achieve economic progress," he said.

The minister was speaking as the chief guest at a certificate distribution and appointment letter handing-over ceremony for trainees under the project titled "Creation of Self-Employment and Poverty Alleviation through Technical Training (Phase-2)" at the Bangladesh Institute of Management (BIM) auditorium in the city, said a press release.

Muktadir said industries capable of creating more employment with relatively low capital investment would receive priority in the coming days.

He said the leather, footwear and non-leather or synthetic leather-based industries have significant potential to generate employment on a large scale.

"These sectors will be among those prioritised by the government in the coming days," he continued.

The minister said demand for skilled and trained workers would increase with the expansion of the country's manufacturing sector.

He said the Bangladesh Industrial Technical Assistance Centre (BITAC) is playing an important role by providing technical training under full

government financing.

"One of the major successes of BITAC's training programmes is the creation of employment opportunities after completion of the training. Trainees are acquiring skills and getting opportunities to work directly in industrial establishments," he said.

The minister emphasised strengthening technical training programmes to ensure that young people can acquire market-oriented skills and contribute to industrialisation and employment generation.