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Bangladesh has become the first Asia-Pacific country to commit to the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for youths with the pledge to train 250,000 youths on digital skills and deliver 3,40,200 apprenticeships by 2023.
Bangladesh on Thursday through the 'a2i-Innovate for All', a flagship programme of the government, announced its commitments at the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development in Bangkok during a side event on "Decent Jobs for Youths: Working together in Asia and the Pacific".
An International Labour Organisation (ILO) statement quoted a2i - Innovate for All policy adviser Anir Chowdhury as saying "Bangladesh is proud to be the first government in Asia and the Pacific to commit to the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youths and invites other governments to join."
Decent Jobs for Youths is a global, multi-stakeholder initiative that brings together governments, social partners, the private sector, youth and civil society organisations to scale up action and impact on youth employment worldwide, it added.
"Each year, more than two million young Bangladeshi men and women enter the labour market, in desperate need of decent jobs and livelihoods", ILO's Bangladesh country director Tuomo Poutiainen said.
He said their experience showed that supporting youths in their school-to-work transition, using industry-led apprenticeships and offering the latest digital skills training would help Bangladesh's young people better prepare for the jobs of the 21st century.
Applauding this new partnership, he said ILO looked forward to working with the government, employers' organisations and young trainees to make it a long-term success.
The commitments by a2i aligned with the priority for skills development in Bangladesh, the statement said.
A2i - Innovate for All works with a whole-of-government approach by leveraging the rapid expansion of technologies to create the right environment for demand-driven skills development in the country.
Following the training on multiple digital skills, the link to employment opportunities for trained youths would be facilitated by the government, the private sector, development partners and NGOs, it said.
The quality apprenticeship programme for young people required key industrial partners to equip apprentices with practical, on-the-job skills, it noted.
The a2i programme's commitments to Decent Jobs for Youth builds on a multi-sectorial partnership, with a2i as the main implementing partner, and support and investment coming from the private sector and other development partners.
The focus on demand-driven skills is critical to meet the needs of local and international job markets, and to equip youths with the right skills for 21st century employment opportunities.