The school where masons and road workers learn their trade

After Beximco shut down one of its factories, Jewel, who comes from a remote village in Netrakona beside the Kangsho River, spent many days unemployed.

Then one day, he learned about the Construction Skill Training Centre (CSTC) in Gazipur. The 21-day training provided by the centre, besides paying Tk500 per day, trains workers in road construction and masonry. 

"I used to work in masonry earlier. Now, unemployed, I have decided to work as a mason again or in a road project. But I need training. I heard CSTC training and certificates help earn better in road construction projects and trained workers earn better as masons too. That is why I applied for this training and enrolled in its upcoming batch," Jewel told The Business Standard. 

The CSTC project has so far trained about 400 workers. Project officers said that this training, facilitated by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), allows workers to explore more opportunities at home and abroad. Many come here to improve their skills while others come to learn the trade and develop their skill set as contractors.

The training school is located in Gazipur's Nirman Dokkhota Proshikkhon Kendra. 

"We are teaching them different types of road construction skills," said Project Director Abul Monzur Md Sadeque. "The skills they gain broaden their horizon for advanced earning opportunities." 

Instructors Habibur Rahman and Imran Hossain said they teach both theory and mathematics. 

"If they don't understand the math, they won't grasp the basic skills," Monjur explained. "We make sure they get a complete understanding. Many of them aspire to become entrepreneurs."

Many of the trainees have family members working as contractors on various projects, and they share the same dream.

Among them is Biplob Hossain from Lalmonirhat. He learned about this training opportunity from the upazila LGED office. 

"After completing this course, I want to work as a subcontractor," Biplob shared. "We're learning how to build proper roads, including the correct amounts of bricks, sand, soil depth, road width, and both theoretical and practical aspects." 

Mehedi Hasan from Chilmari, Kurigram, said that his uncle is a contractor and he works with him. 

"But without my own expertise, I can't lead others. That's why I'm here — to learn," Mehedi explained. "After gaining the necessary skills, I'll be able to manage road construction myself alongside the labourers."

Mehedi completed his HSC in 2020 and began working with his uncle shortly after.

Saidul Mia, a father of two and another trainee said he already works in road construction but wants to develop expertise to become a contractor. If he works well, he wants to go abroad to work as well. 

"The experience from the first five days of training has been good so far," he added.

Most of the trainees shared a similar dream to become contractors after completing the training. They come from various districts. 

Outside the campus premise, instructors Saiful Islam and Faijul Islam were demonstrating firsthand the intricacies of building roads. They have a mock street there for practical training. 

"We're teaching them how to prepare the subgrade, which involves filling three layers underneath the paved road," explained Saiful Islam.

"We cover different types of roads in the training, including bitumen roads, Hot Bituminous Pavement [HBP] roads, and Uni-Block roads. We start from the lowest layer: subgrade, improved subgrade, subbase, and then base course. We take them outside for practical training on carpeting. For Uni-Block and HBP roads, we build demo roads on-site, including aging and shoulder construction," Faijul Islam, another instructor, said.

"There are many small but crucial details," the project director explained. 

"For example, if an embankment isn't strong or the soil isn't compacted properly, heavy vehicles [18-20 tonnes] can cause damage as the pressure is transferred to the sides. The side slopes bear the weight, and if they aren't well-constructed, the road will get damaged," Abul Monzur added.

He emphasised that understanding these details is essential. "If they don't develop an eye for the small things, achieving high-quality construction will be challenging.