CCCI seeks ILO partnership to build industry-ready Bangladesh workforce

By Priya Raman

The Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) has signalled its intent to partner with the International Labour Organization (ILO) to build a workforce matched to industrial demand. The proposal surfaced in a discussion between CCCI leaders and an ILO delegation held in Chattogram, with both sides stressing skills development, work-based learning and employment support services.

For apparel sourcing teams, the initiative targets a persistent constraint in Bangladesh's largest export sector: the gap between technical education output and factory-floor requirements. The collaboration aims to strengthen industry-academia linkages, expand vocational training and improve workforce readiness through practical, industry-focused skills development.

What did CCCI propose?

CCCI President Mohammad Amirul Haque told the meeting that Bangladesh's education system requires significant reform to promote technical and practical education aligned with real industry needs. He called for adopting vocational training models from countries such as Canada to develop a workforce that matches industrial requirements.

Haque identified short-term training in specific trades as the fastest route to closing the skills gap:

• Plumbing
• Painting
• Cutting
• Sewing
• Gas-line installation

He also urged modernisation of curricula and training methods to address the growing impact of advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence. The message to training providers is direct: programmes designed for yesterday's production lines will not supply workers for automated or AI-assisted operations.

What is the ILO's role?

Joining virtually, ILO Country Director for Bangladesh Max Tunon said the organisation works to address the interests of all stakeholders, including government, employers and workers. He noted that the ILO's key objective is to create more and better jobs while improving working conditions across the country.

Tunon said the ILO is focusing on connecting technical education institutions with industrial enterprises, expanding work-based learning opportunities, developing industry-relevant skills and improving productivity through a workforce better aligned with market needs. That framing places productivity gains, not just certification counts, at the centre of the effort.

How does the Employment Exchange Center programme fit?

The discussion also highlighted a government initiative already in motion: the establishment of nationwide Employment Exchange Centers under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, with technical support from the ILO. The programme aims to strengthen collaboration between industrial enterprises and technical educational institutions while promoting work-based training, skills development and job placement services.

For manufacturers, the centres could reduce recruitment friction by formalising the pipeline between training institutions and factories. The Chattogram meeting signals that the country's principal port-city business body wants local industry plugged into that mechanism early.

Who attended?

The session drew representation from both the chamber and the apparel sector. Attendees included:

• Md. Amjad Hossain Chowdhury, Senior Vice-President of CCCI
• Shahidul Alam, Director of CCCI
• Enamul Aziz Chowdhury and Md. Saifullah, Directors of BGMEA
• Peter Belen, Chief Technical Adviser of the ILO
• Gunjan Dallakoti, Head of Program, and Tanzel Ahsan, Senior Program Officer, ILO
• A.N.M. Saifuddin, BGMEA Chief Coordinator for ILO and Labour Affairs
• Mirza Md. Jamshed Ali, Managing Director of Ritz-G Group

The presence of BGMEA coordinators indicates the readymade garment sector has a formal channel into the skills agenda, not just observer status.

What happens next?

No signed agreement, funding figure or timeline has been announced; the talks remain at the expression-of-interest stage. The discussion nonetheless underscores growing efforts by industry stakeholders and development partners to address Bangladesh's skills gap and build a workforce capable of supporting the country's industrial growth and competitiveness. Sourcing executives tracking Bangladesh should watch whether the CCCI-ILO dialogue converts into concrete curriculum reform and work-based learning placements in Chattogram's industrial base.