Bangladesh Employers’ Federation (BEF), in collaboration with the International Labour Organization Country Office for Bangladesh under the ProGRESS Project, organized a Development Partner Consultation on Gender-Responsive TVET & Apprenticeship Priorities on 03 March 2026 at the MCCI Conference Room, Police Plaza, Gulshan, Dhaka.
The consultation aimed to align development partner interventions with national priorities on gender-responsive TVET and apprenticeship reform under the Bangladesh Labour Act, NSDP, TVET Implementation Plan, and the Gender and Skills Taskforce Action Plan.
Mr. Saidul Islam, Additional Secretary-General, BEF, welcomed the participants and delivered remarks highlighting BEF’s ongoing efforts in advancing gender-responsive TVET and apprenticeship priorities. Mr. Pedro Jr. Bellen, Chief Technical Officer, ProGRESS Project, ILO, shared the objectives of the consultation. Technical presentations by representatives from ILO and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) were followed by plenary discussions and breakout group work to define joint priorities, timelines, and next steps for engagement. The session concluded with a summary of outcomes by Mr. Gunjan Dallakoti, Head of Programme and SME Development Specialist, ILO, followed by closing remarks by Mr. Saidul Islam.
A total of 19 representatives (7 female and 12 male) from BEF and development partners engaged in gender-responsive TVET and apprenticeship programming participated in the consultation.
