DHAKA, April 8, 2023 (BSS) - Standard Chartered and UCEP recently celebrated the completion of a joint reskilling and employment reintegration programme to combat job loss and promote economic development. 

Launched in 2020 and expanded upon in 2022, the multi-year programme was designed to successfully upskill and reskill members of Bangladesh's workforce in response to global headwinds, said a press release. 

As part of the programme, 2,100 beneficiaries were carefully selected in an effort to maximise the impact of the intervention.

 As part of Standard Chartered and UCEP's reskilling and reintegration programme, individuals received training on trades such as electrical installation and maintenance, air conditioner maintenance, auto mechanic repair, and tailoring. 

The collaborative programme between the Bank and UCEP was carried out in four phases. This approach was taken so that methodologies and parameters could be adjusted to ensure the disbursement of appropriate resources and aid. 

The material taught as part of the re-skilling and employment reintegration programme was developed in response to a number of assessments and studies conducted by UCEP Bangladesh. 

These assessments and studies helped to identify skill related gaps across both the formal and informal sector. As such, the programme was specially designed to equip them with the skills required to meet the current and future demands of the job market. Beyond support provided as part of the programme, beneficiaries also received food and essential supplies. 

The core aim of this intervention is in alignment with the Bank's mission to empower the current and next generation to learn, earn and grow through community programmes centred on education, employability, and entrepreneurship.

The programme has yielded positive results for the 2,100 youths involved. Approximately 90% of the beneficiaries targeted during Phase 1 are employed. 

Phase 2 saw the training and development of 500 beneficiaries - 93% of whom are currently employed. Phase 3 targeted 800 beneficiaries and boasts a 90% employment rate. Phase 4 was completed in March of 2023.

 Following the completion of the programme, it typically takes 2-3 months for participants to find new jobs or receive promotions. Thus far, 91% of participants from Phase 4 have been able to achieve a successful career transition. This percentage is expected to increase in the coming months.

As the nation's long-term partner in progress, Standard Chartered has consistently been linked to Bangladesh's inspiring story of growth and resilience. 

For more than 118 years, the Bank has been dedicated to driving commerce and growth without leaving people behind, negatively impacting the planet, or creating divisions that diminish our sense of community.

 The Bank's flagship community engagement programme, Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, is dedicated to helping the next generation earn, learn, and grow. The employability pathway ensures that young people have the right mix of technical and soft skills to be job-ready for the future. 

UCEP Bangladesh was established by Lindsay Allan Cheyne in 1972. UCEP Bangladesh is a non-governmental organisation which provides second chance education to out-of-school children and decent work to youth and adults through Technical Vocational Education & Training (TVET) and Skills Development.