Skills training for women in tourism and hospitality sector: a project of BRAC skills development programme

Abstract

BRAC Skills Development Programme has been developed corresponding to BRAC‟s overarching goal of eliminating extreme poverty, and in line with one of the key objectives of BRAC‟s new Strategy 2016 – 2020, which specifies that BRAC will create employable skills and provide decent work opportunities for underserved youth within the country and abroad. It also contributes to the SDG 8. BRAC SDP aims to ensure that in the next five years, at least 500‟000 youth and adults receive competency based training and at least 80% are able to secure decent employment or generate self-employment setting enterprises. SDP aims to offer intensive programs designed to introduce learners to specific technical and work readiness skills relevant in hospitality and business sectors. Initially, training programs in the hospitality sector includes food and beverage service and housekeeping; and the training programs in business sector includes retail sales training. BRAC Skills Development Programme has initiated a pilot project to develop skills in the tourism and hospitality sector, in partnership with International Labor Organization (ILO) in 2016. The project was a part of Bangladesh Skills for Employment and Productivity (B-SEP) Project, an initiative of the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) funded by the Government of Canada and executed by the ILO. The project provided competency based skills training to trainees following the National Technical & Vocational Qualification Framework (NTVQF) in line with National Skills Policy, 2011. BRAC SDP has trained underprivileged women, with the age group 18 to 24 and minimum education level Class VIII. The training center was at BRAC-Center for Development & Management (CDM) in Savar. The 14 months project had two training segments, where in total 30 trainees received the training. This skills training project was successfully completed with BRAC &ILO certification & the trainees were employed in different hotels like Hotel Amari, Dhaka Regency, Ascott Palace, Le Méridien, Lakeshore, Long Beach, & BCDM.