To meet the growing demand for skilled labor in Bangladesh's expanding industrial sectors, the Social Development Foundation (SDF) has launched a comprehensive national initiative. The program focuses on equipping youth, vulnerable groups, returning migrants, and COVID-19-affected communities with the necessary technical and vocational skills. Collaborating with national skill development agencies, industry specialists, and training providers and their assignments like Certified training partners, diverse technical skill training, tailored business and entrepreneurship training, factory based apprenticeship, driving & technical services, ICT & digital skills, hospitality & tourism, healthcare & caregiving skills and support for micro enterprise development. SDF ensures quality education aligned with national standards. This initiative aims to empower individuals with sustainable employment opportunities, support poverty reduction, and contribute to economic growth at both local and national levels.

 
Evaluation of competencies Standard (CS) or Performance Evaluation of long courses is conducted by the NSDA or BTEB accredited and Registers evaluators of resource pool. At the mid of courses, the assessment plan is produced and wait for the evaluation exam organized by TPOs (RPL center). A day is selected to conduct evaluation and if the participant passes the exam, he/she will be eligible to receive an international standard (online web based accreditation) certificate with in the time frame by NSDA.

Employment Generation Support Approach
The Social Development Foundation (SDF) employs a comprehensive employment generation strategy to facilitate sustainable job and self-employment opportunities for trained youth, both in-country and abroad. Through the Youth Employment Generation Support (YEGS) initiative, SDF collaborates with employers, companies, recruiting agencies, and contracted Training Providing Organizations (TPOs) to ensure successful job placements after technical skill training. Each TPO is committed to supporting employment outcomes by connecting graduates with two types of opportunities: wage-based jobs and self-employment options.
The strategy includes counseling and motivational sessions that prepare trainees for job placements, beginning in their communities and extending to industrial placements. For specific training courses, such as motor driving, trainees receive guidance in obtaining official licenses to enhance employability. This approach relies on a network of district, regional, and headquarters-level coordination, enabling SDF to build connections with industry partners and ensure impactful job placements. By continuously learning from partner feedback, SDF strives to optimize its employment support initiatives, contributing to meaningful and lasting employment for youth across Bangladesh.

A Glimpse of SDF Achievement 

Skill development and employment generation

SDF RELI project has initiated to address the concurrent National level skill manpower crisis and demand of skill labors and technical experts for the rapid growing countrywide emergent industries, growth centers and factories in EPZs. To meet the above urgency of human resource mobilization in country and overseas manpower exports, employment generation, SDF has designed and developed appropriate strategy and affordable mechanism of skill development training for the unveil and unutilized human resources at rural perspectives i.e. unemployed youth and under employed workforce, Covid 19 affected vulnerable victims, overseas returnee migrants and jobless workers in the poverty prone HIES indicated 20 vulnerable districts of RELI project. The extreme poor and poor from poorest The key aspect of RELI project “Youth Development Activities” strategically initiates to trigger the major area of improvement through generating 20,000 youth human skills, technical ability and accessibility to make them eligible and employable to compete in the in-country and overseas job market. Under RELI project period a total of 16000 youths have targeted to generate employments.

Under the comprehensive initiatives, SDF adapted many actor’s intellectual efforts, scholastic views, expert opinions and Skill Development agencies’ suggestions including National Skill Development Authority’s mandate, Training Curriculum, Competency Standards to secure the underlying current opportunities and scopes related to youth skill development and employment generation. SDF has also adopted open scopes for participating reputed and efficient agency and organizations under procurement policy for engaging and exploring the real expertise, skill productivity and authentic level facilities driven by GO, NGO and Private-sector led Training Providing Organizations/Institutions and Academy.

Skill Development Partners and their Assignments:

To execute comprehensively the skill development training and Employment generation, SDF has procured 11 TPOs for delivering TVET trainings for the RELI targeted youths. The NSDA and BTEB certified registered organization who have long experiences of skill development training track records and potentiality of job placement strength and networks are eligible to make partnership with SDF through signing procurement policy. Meanwhile 11 TPOs have contracted signing with SDF for organizing and conducting training and Employment for the 20,000 youths and trained 15,501 on 16 technical trades. A total of 10,557 youths have generated employment in more than 50 Industries and factories in EPZ.

BMET - A total of 20 technical Training Center in 20 districts have delivered TVET courses and trained about 2460 youths and provided jobs in the EPZ industries.

SME Foundation - This organization has trained about 2570 Youths Micro Entrepreneurs on Business Management Skill training who have already established more than 820 Micro and Small Enter prizes at rural markets.

BRAC-SDP - BRAC with the joint initiative of SDF have already developed implementation of Factory based Apprenticeship Program (FAP) for skill development training for the rural level school dropped out youths. Meanwhile 1478 youths have developed skill at Factory and 1442 of them have provided jobs on those factories and growth centers in local market

Trust Technical Training Institute(TTTI) – Army led organization has situated in Savar, Dhaka, Under the procurement agreement a total of 1000 youths already trained on motor driving and with the assistance of BRTA most of them have received motor driving license, many of them already got jobs.

Development Initiatives for Social Advancement (DISA) – DISA is a specialized organization has offered a number of TVET courses endorsed by NSDA. Meanwhile this organization has developed 610 youths’ skill and provided wage based jobs in many reputed industries and factories, companies in mentioned trades.

TMSS- TMSS has delivered TVET training on Motor cycle servicing, Lathe machine operation and wielding and fabrication and about 1000 youths have trained and provided employments.

E learning and Earning in Kallanpur, Dhaka- This is a specialized ICT training supporting organization have trained already 600 youths

VROMON and Bangladesh Skill Development Initiatives (BSDI)- This joint venture initiative where a total of 450 youths have received skill and internship training on hotel management and tourism, they also got jobs in many national and international Hotel and Motel in Bangladesh.

SAIC- This organization in Mirpur Dhaka has started to train 500 Health Assistant and Caregivers (EYE and health). These trained youths specially females will comprehensively contribute to nurse and care patients and care receiver in-country and abroad.

MIDAS- The MIDAS is a micro enterprise development specialized organization and have plan to develop skill about 500 youths on micro entrepreneurship and also provide financial loan support to emerge micro and small enterprise development.

BTEB and NSDA Assessment and Certificate Awarding Procedure:

Evaluation of competencies Standard (CS) or Performance Evaluation of long courses is conducted by the NSDA or BTEB accredited and Registers evaluators of resource pool. At the mid of courses, the assessment plan is produced and wait for the evaluation exam organized by TPOs (RPL center). A day is selected to conduct evaluation and if the participant passes the exam, he/she will be eligible to receive an international standard (online web based accreditation) certificate with in the time frame by NSDA.

Employment Generation Support Approach:

An employment generation strategy is adopted by SDF-YEGS with the joint initiatives, network building and linkage development among different employers and job providers, companies, and the recruiting agencies in country and Overseas. Under the employment facilitation support, the contracted Training Proving Organizations have obligation and mandate to provide employment generation after successful completion of skill development technical training. Two types of employments support are ensured i.e. wage based jobs and self-earned enterprise. Meanwhile 10500 male and female trained youths have provided both types of employments. In case of motor driving courses all trained youths have opportunity to received BRTA licenses. Under the approach a series of counseling and motivational sessions are conducted from village to factory level job placement.

The employment efforts deal with many actors, agencies and employers including TPOs and SDF district, Region and headquarters level officials to make the assignment successful. SDF is learning still from the different level partners to improve the highest level outcomes in this arena.

Employment Generation Support Approach:

TVET Trade-wise Skill Development Courses

SDF has learnt from the past implementing projects and also deeply apprehended the importance of technical trade based skills and expertise development courses essentiality and urgency for competing to access in job markets in country and abroad. TVET long courses curriculum endorsed by NSDA and other legal authorities is strongly considered and mandate to eligible for delivering unemployed youths success for seeking employment generation. The highly market demandable Technical and Vocational Trades for skill developments are the following Electrical and Electronics Maintenance(EIM), Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning (RAC), Motor Cycle Servicing, Driving, Food & Beverage Services, Industrial Garments Sewing, Tailoring and Dress Making, Consumer Electronics, Electrical House Wiring (EHW), Graphics Design, Business Management Skill ,Computer Office Application With Basic , Cattle Farming, Plumbing and Pipe Fittings, Mobile Servicing ,Welding and Fabrication, IT Support with Basic Maintenance, Digital Marketing with freelancing, House Keeping, Food & Beverage Production (Cook), Front office Management, Ticketing & Reservation, Factory based Apprenticeship Skill and Lathe Machine Operation.

Micro Entrepreneurs and Enterprise Development (MEED):

The RELI project has initiated to explore rural level Micro Entrepreneurs and Enterprises Development (MEED) through engaging unemployed and semi-employed youths who need project support like technical skills, financial support, business planning guidelines and mentorship for improving their livelihoods and developing climate change resilience capacity to handle against the uncertainty of climate change induced risks, vulnerability and shocks during disaster. To address the above initiative, a total of 3200 extreme poor and poor unemployed and under-employed males and female youths (from 3200 villages of 20 districts) have been selected (one in each village) and of them, 2570 youths have capacitated on providing Business Management Skill (BMS) training to start and operate their businesses with joint efforts by SME Foundation (technical) and SDF (financial)under the MoU signing. The trained 820 youth’s micro entrepreneurs already have received loan amount as seed capital BDT. (20,000-80,000) from SDF funding sources through Gram Somity for starting their enterprises

Till to reporting date, a total of 2570 youths (92 batches from 20 districts in 5 regions, each batch comprised of 25-30 youths) have already started up their Nano and Micro enterprises. Alongside, there are included fresh youth entrepreneurs (who intend to start) who have delivered 8 days of start-up BMS training (phase-1). After successful completion of phase-1 BMS training, they will be invited to receive phase-2 training.

Stipend for Meritorious student to continue higher Education:

A significant number of male and female meritorious poor students of the project’s extreme poor and poor households have dropped out from their education rights due to lack of financial crisis and unbearable cost of higher education liabilities. Under this excellent intervention, a total of 640 students being finally awarded where Female-376 (59%) and Male-264 (41%) through following a competitive application process and administrative formality. The stipend amount is BDT. 72,000 for each student and all the students have already received 1st and 2nd Installment and 3rd will be provided by June 2025. The significant no. of students got admission in the reputed and prestigious Universities and Medical colleges (Dhaka, Chattogram, Jahangirnagor, Rajshahi) including many other different technical colleges and Institutions.