Social Inclusion in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET): An Assessment on Selected Partners of the “Skills for Employment Investment Program (SEIP)†Project Implemented in Bangladesh

Social inclusion in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is now extensively discussed as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) stress people’s equitable rights by ensuring no one will be left behind in the country’s development. Therefore, young people, including low-income people and disadvantaged people, should be trained with appropriate skills and placed in jobs. The Bangladesh government, jointly with the Asian Development Bank (ABD)’s funding, implemented the Skills for Employment Investment Program (SEIP) project from 2014 to 2023. The SEIP enrolled .796 million youths, provided hands-on training on technology-based skills, and ensured at least 60% of trainees’ employment. This project focused on the segment of the population from disadvantaged backgrounds, like helpless women, persons with disabilities (PWDs), ultra-poor, ethnic minorities, transgender, etc., to be included in the training program and secure job placement for them. So, this article assesses the role of government-funded TVET programs in addressing inclusiveness in skills training and creating employability for those marginalized people. Data from 3 major partner associations/organizations among the 28 SEIP implementing partners have been analyzed, and the accessibility of marginalized people to skills training and their engagement in employment after training have been assessed. Data was collected from secondary sources. Moreover, a discussion was held with the concerned employees of selected partner associations/organizations that worked with SEIP, and the database named ‘Trainee Management System (TMS)’ of those associations/organizations was considered to collect the required information highlighting the collaborative nature of the project.