Govt’s Tk38 crore skills training scheme delivers limited employment gains

Infograph: TBS

Despite spending Tk38 crore to train over 5,000 people in driving and IT across four poverty-prone districts, a government initiative has mostly failed to create jobs due to poor planning, wrong targeting, and lack of follow-up, a recent impact assessment by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) has found.

The project, implemented by the Department of Social Services between February 2020 and June 2022, aimed to empower marginalised communities in Lalmonirhat, Jamalpur, Bhola, and Patuakhali. 

Out of 2,545 individuals trained in driving, only 72 entered the profession within three years. In the IT and graphic design track, only 121 out of 2,640 trainees found employment in the field, according to the IMED.

Mustafa K Mujeri, executive director at Institute for Inclusive Finance and Development, said development projects must go beyond training and ensure job placements or support for self-employment, especially for the poor. 

"Without follow-up support, training becomes ineffective," he said, adding that training must align with market demand.

"For instance, provide licences where needed, and build connections with industries. Otherwise, such projects amount to a waste of public money," said, urging authorities to assess real outcomes and redesign similar projects based on those findings.

Mismatched target

Although the project indeed intended to train 7,000 individuals with eighth-grade or SSC graduates, nearly 46% of participants held honours or master's degrees.

This mismatch, IMED observed, diverted the programme's focus from the poor and underskilled. Besides, poor planning, misaligned targeting, and lack of follow-up support limited the programme's success.

73% left driving profession

The findings also revealed that only 6% of trained drivers were currently working in the field, while 2% were still job-hunting, 19% had taken up other work, and nearly 73% remained out of the driving profession altogether. 

The lack of driver's licences, job scarcity, and personal preference were cited as key reasons. 

For IT trainees, a small number ventured into digital livelihoods, with 1.4% launching their own online businesses and 18.4% engaged in e-marketing. An additional 32.3% expressed future interest, while 22.6% said they were unable to apply their training at all.

Hope vs reality 

The IMED found that more than 44% of participants said they joined the training with hopes of self-employment, 37.5% expected to get a job, and 13.4% wanted to increase their income. Only 1.9% cited skill acquisition as the main reason.

Although 59.9% of participants reported earning income post-training – either through full-time (44.7%) or part-time jobs (13.9%), or self-employment (1.9%) – the overall impact remains limited. Over one-third (33.4%) are still seeking work, while nearly 4% have stopped trying.

Lack of equipment and financial support emerged as key barriers to applying new skills, with 55.9% citing these as obstacles. Another 12% were dissatisfied with the course length and content, and 4% said travel posed a challenge. Still, 28.1% reported facing no significant hurdles.

A striking 82.1% of respondents said financial assistance, either in the form of loans or grants, was essential for applying their skills. Around 12% sought better access to tools, and 6% wanted advanced training opportunities.

Nearly 96% of trainees recommended hands-on practice and better equipment as critical for improving training quality. 

IMED concluded that future projects must prioritise needs-based participant selection, post-training mentorship, and stronger linkages with employers and financial institutions to translate skills into sustainable livelihoods.