Technical and Vocational Education: 73% of graduates earn less than Tk 10k per month.

According to a study by the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), about 73 percent of engineering graduates earn less than Tk10,000 per month as most jobs offer low salaries due to lack of skills and mismatch between supply and demand.

Of the graduates, 36 percent earn between Tk 15,000 and Tk 25,000, while only one percent earn above Tk 30,000.

CPD released the results yesterday at a public technical and vocational education event in the capital’s Farmgate.

The survey was conducted among 600 current and former engineering students in three districts – Panchagarh, Satkhira and Sunamganj – in collaboration with Citizens’ Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh and Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO).

Delivering the keynote address, Taufiqul Islam Khan, senior fellow at CPD, said that initially certified students have to work for free as their acquired skills do not adequately match the market demand.

According to him, recruiters often express concern about the quality of graduates’ work.

He also said course curricula often do not meet the needs of local industries, making it difficult for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) graduates to find suitable employment opportunities.

According to the CPD, only 13 per cent of participants believe the quality of education meets their expectations, while 59 per cent consider it satisfactory.

About 87 percent of current and former students believe that technical education does not meet their expectations, and 67 percent believe that the infrastructure is average, the study said.

Debapriya Bhattacharya, distinguished fellow at CPD, has called for setting up an expert committee on a partnership basis to modernize technical education.

“I hope that the interim government will create a committee to develop an action plan to create a modern, effective technical and vocational education system,” he said.

He proposed that the government spend three months assessing and four months implementing this transformation, securing the necessary funding and recommendations in the 2025-26 budget.

Professor Mustafizur Rahman, another eminent fellow of the CPD, questioned the effectiveness of new investments in technical education unless existing institutional problems are addressed.

“In the next 15 years, the employment situation will change significantly. We need to prepare the curriculum, teachers and infrastructure accordingly,” he said, adding that fundamental initiatives in technical education should start at the primary level.

“Our resources are limited, but the demand is significant. It is important to allocate resources strategically to achieve maximum impact,” he said.

He also emphasized the need for good governance, accountability and transparency.

Dr Maksudur Rahman, Director (PIU), Directorate of Technical Education, admitted that only 18 per cent of teaching posts in the technical education sector have been filled.

“We are working to fill these vacancies through PSC and other means and hope to resolve this issue soon,” he said.

Matin Chowdhury, former president of UCEP Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association, emphasized that training should lead to employment. “Training is incomplete without providing employment,” he added.

Ruhul Amin, secretary of the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment, said migration costs are rising due to middlemen.

He said policies are being put in place to ensure legal regulation of these intermediaries and a platform will be launched in December to provide transparent information on employment opportunities abroad.

The event was also attended by Mr. Rakib Ullah, Chairman of Bangladesh Technical Education Council and Rubina Hossain, President of Bangladesh Federation of Women Entrepreneurs among others.