Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh Michael Miller has said the EU-Bangladesh Talent Partnership has been designed to be transformative and win-win.
"It will ensure safe and dignified migration, including the respect of human rights," he said.
In parallel to the creation of legal pathways for migration, the Ambassador said they must ensure smooth returns and reintegration, step up work to end irregular migration and tackle the scourge of trafficking and exploitation.
The EU funded EUR 3 million Talent Partnership project was launched recently in Dhaka.
It will address skills gaps, reduce migration costs, increase opportunities for Bangladeshis and provide skilled workers for the EU labour market.
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At the launching, stakeholders endorsed the core objectives and strategies of the project, underlining the need for sustained collaboration of both the public and private sector in Bangladesh and EU Member States to overcome current challenges and for the Talent Partnership collaboration to succeed.
The International Labour Organization (ILO,) Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE) and the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) will implement this three-year project.
Focusing on safe and dignified legal pathways for migration to Europe from Bangladesh and reducing irregular migration, the project will support skills matching between EU Member states’ labour markets and Bangladesh to ensure workers have the right skills, meeting EU standards.
Over 7.4 million Bangladeshis are migrant workers, remitting EUR 2 billion each month, according to the ILO.
The training programmes aim to prepare 3000 workers to meet the requirements needed for employment in the EU.
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In addition, the project will strengthen the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEWOE) online job-matching platform, improving access to employment opportunities for skilled job seekers.
Acknowledging the importance of addressing challenges encountered by potential overseas workers, Dr Asif Nazrul, Adviser for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, said this project will ensure safety of workers while boosting remittance for Bangladesh.
Tuomo Poutiainen, the Country Director of the ILO underscored the impact of the project on skill development, stating that it would facilitate ‘technical upskilling’ and ‘fair recruitment’.