Promoting skills for the future world of work

1. International Conference
on
Skills for the Future World of Work and TVET for Global
Competitiveness
(ভবিষ্যত শ্রমিাজারেে জন্য দক্ষতা আে বিবিক প্রবতর াবিতাে জন্য টিবভইটি)
Keynote Paper 1: Promoting Skills for the Future World of Work
Presented by AKMA Hamid, President, IDEB and Prepared by Abdur Rafique,
Former Director General DTE and Chairman BTEB
Jointly Organized by
The Institution of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh (IDEB)
and
The Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC) Manila
July 27-29 2017
Venue: IEDB Bhabvan, Kakrial Dhaka

2. The Paper on Promoting Skills for the Future World of Work
starts with the meaning of the word skill along with other
relevant and inherent/inbuilt terms as task, job and
occupation the prerequisite for the theme of the paper.
With the brief explanation of the prerequisite terms the paper
presents the:
- Employed workforce skill,
- Workforce productivity,
- National standard classification of workforce,
- Skill standard classification of the workforce for developed
countries and
- Challenges and potentials of Bangladesh along with
recommendations

3. The BBS LFS (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Labour
Force Survey) 2015 out of the working age population 58.1
million were employed with the major economic sector
wise distribution of agriculture: 45%, services 34%, and
industry 21%.
Among the total unclassified employed workforce main
sector wise distribution was: total informal 86.9% and
formal 13.1%
The educational qualification yet to gear up with the
occupational needs of the employment market. The
education achievement of the employed workforce was
(in %): no education 21.3, primary 28.7, secondary 30.6,
higher secondary 12.8, tertiary 6.1 and others 0.4

4. The BBS LFS report 2015 and the Quarterly LFS report 2017 in the
introduction stated that the BBS has developed BSCO (Bangladesh
Standard Classification of Occupation) in line with ISCO (International
Standard Classification of Occupation) but the employed workforce
classification in both the reports has been presented not in the
form of BESCO but in the BBS traditional way.
If the BSCO could be developed by the BBS with active
participation of the employment market and expert conversant
with standard classification of occupations and maintained as
national data base would be very much useful for the country
including the development of the BQF (Bangladesh Qualification
Framework) for the education and training programmes for
matching the qualification with the occupations of the employment
market leading to higher productivity and innovations.

5. Workforce productivity is a revealing indicator of several
economic indicators as it offers a dynamic measure of economic
growth, competitiveness, and living standards within an economy.
It is the measure of workforce productivity (and all that this
measure takes into account) which helps explain the principal
economic foundations that are necessary for both economic
growth and social development.
Usually workforce productivity is defined as GDP (Gross Value
added in market prices, or based on PPPs for comparison among
countries) per hour worked that reflect regular hours worked by
full-time and part-time workers, paid and unpaid overtime, hours
worked in additional jobs, and time not worked because of public
holidays, annual paid leaves, strikes and labour disputes, bad
weather, economic conditions and other reasons.

6. National standard occupational classification of employed and
upcoming workforce is essential precondition in order to
compute the productivity of the workforce in the different
sectors of the economic and services. Computation of sector
wise productivity growth depends upon availability of sector wise
data for real value added (in basic prices) and hours worked.
As per the World Bank Report 2014 and presented in the 7th FYP
comparative status of the productivity of Bangladesh workforce
in service sector worked out from GDP (PPP) was: 23% of
Thailand, 24% of Sri Lanka, 29% of China, 45% of India and 65%
of Vietnam.

7. Based on the finding of the analyses of 7th FYP focusing
employed workforce skill and performance of the education and
training programme and findings of research and experiences of
the fast developing and developed countries and focusing
theme of the IEDB “Build Skill Bangladesh” a book on
“Build Skill Bangladesh for Emerging Bangladesh as
Developed Nation”
ISBN: 978-984-34-2264-4 has been developed by the Team of
Researchers and Professionals for transforming the employed and
upcoming workforce tuned to the NTVQF/BQF as standard
classified workforce for ensuring higher productivity and
innovation

8. The 7th FYP has strongly recommended in Sector 11, Section 11.5
to accelerate implementation of the on-going standard
classification of the workforce according to the NTVQF (National
Technical Vocational Qualification Framework) six skill standard
levels of the NSDP 2011 (National Skill Development Policy).
The 7th FYP has also strongly recommended in Sector 2 Chapter
12 for application ICT (Information and Communication
Technology) within the frame of the Digital Bangladesh. for
flattening the traditional administrative hierarchy in both public
and private sectors to leading higher productivity and single
point delivery of product and services.

9. Starting from 2013 with the available support from ISCs
(Industries Sector Councils), NSDCS (National Skill Development
Council Secretariat) and TVET providers the BTEB (Bangladesh
Technical Education Board) organized tests for employed and
self-employed workforce also using RPL (Recognition of Prior
Learning) and awarded NTVQF Skill Standard Certificates of
different levels including Industry Assessors to a total of 20,828
successful candidates in the skill levels of I to IV through the
Registered Training Organizations (RTOs) and Accredited Testing
Centres (ATCs).
This achievement of the BTEB is yet to gear up with the vast
demand of the employment markets.

10. The experiences of implementation of the NTVQF and
research findings along with the experiences and research
findings of the fast developing and developed countries
have clearly demonstrated that the NTVQF should be
transformed as BQF (Bangladesh Qualification
Framework) raising the standards up to 10
levels as:
7 Professionals/para-professionals,
8 Professional planners and implementation policy
makers,
9 Researchers and
10 Policymaker/ parliamentarian.

11. The international Standard Classification of Occupation (ISCO)
for the workforce as agreed upon and recommended by the
members of the United Nations with 10 (ten) levels having one
level left out for the armed forces classification and the
remaining 9 levels for the all categories of the civilian workforce
starting from the lowest as cleaners to the policy
makers/legislators.
As there is operational flexibility within the frame of ISCO all
the fast developing and developed countries have developed
their civilian workforce classification either at 9 or 10 levels but
Malaysia at 8 levels, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore
and Sri Lanka and all the EU member states at 10 levels. The EU
made publication of the standard classifications in 25 languages

12. Extracts from different sections of the national skill standard
classification for workforce of Singapore, Canada, Australia and
EU Member States have been selected and presented to
explain partly the magnitude and volume of professional
competences necessary for developing and using the standard
classification.
These extracts provide examples of the four countries:
(a) Singapore and Canada: Classifications of occupational
standards
(b) Australia: Regulatory provision for ensuring standards of the
higher education by providers
(c ) EU Member states: How does ESCO benefit European
citizens?

13. For SSCO (Singapore Standard Classification of Occupation)
2015 includes ten levels of the standard classification with
the number of sub-major (two-digit), minor (three-digit) and
unit (four-digit),
1 Legislators, Senior Officials and Managers
2 Professionals
3 Associate Professionals and Technicians
4 Clerical Support Workers
5 Service and Sales Workers
6 Agricultural and Fishery Workers
7 Craftsmen and Related Trades Workers
8 Plant and Machine Operators and Assemblers
9 Cleaners, Labourers and Related Workers 9 Cleaners,
Labourers and Related Workers
10 Workers Not Elsewhere Classified by Occupation

14. Canada describes the structure and format of NOC (National Occupational
Classification) 2016 only with the name of major groups, minor groups
and unit groups with examples,
categories, major, minor and unit groups.
10 broad occupational categories
Each broad occupational category has a unique one-digit code number and
is composed of one or more major groups.
40 major groups
Each major group has a unique two-digitFootnote 1 code number and is
composed of one or more minor groups. The first digit of this code
indicates the broad occupational category to which the major group
belongs 140 minor groups
Each minor group has a unique three-digit code number and is composed
of one or more unit groups. The first two digits of this code indicate the
major group to which the minor group belongs.
500 Unit Groups
Each unit group has a unique four-digit code. The first three digits of this
code indicate the major and minor groups to which the unit group belongs.

15. Canada continued
For example:
0 - Management occupations
00 - Senior management occupations
001 - Legislators and senior management
0011 - Legislators
0012 - Senior government managers and officials
0013 - Senior managers - financial, communications and
other business services
0014 - Senior managers - health, education, social and
community services and membership organizations
0015 - Senior managers - trade, broadcasting and other
services, n.e.c.
0016 - Senior managers - construction, transportation,
production and utilities

16. Australia Higher Education and the maintenance of academic
standards for AQF (Australian Qualification Framework) 2015 as
per the Act operative on 1st January 2012
The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011
provides the national framework for regulating Higher Education
and the maintenance of academic standards.
The Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold
Standards), are adopted under the Act and outline:
• Provider Registration Standards
• Provider Category Standards
• Provider Course Accreditation Standards
• Qualification Standards.
These standards must be met for a Provider and its courses to
maintain registration.

17. The AQF forms part of the Higher Education Threshold Standards,
within the Qualification Standards.
The Qualification Standards require self-accrediting institutions,
such as University of South Australia, to demonstrate that:
- Awards at all levels offered meet the AQF specifications
- Appropriate certification documents are issued
- Articulation, recognition of prior learning and credit
arrangements meet AQF requirements.
The statutory regulator, TEQSA, will then judge if the Provider is
compliant. It is important therefore, that the University has a
clear understanding of its academic standards and how they
demonstrate that the Qualification Standards have been met in a
rigorous and consistent manner.

18. EU Member States show only the public benefit of ESCO (EU
Standard Classification of Occupation), 2016.
What is ESCO?
ESCO is the multilingual classification of European Skills,
Competences, Qualifications and Occupations. It identifies and
category of skills, competences, qualifications and occupations
relevant for the EU labour market and education and training, in
25 European languages.
The cyclic sequence of ESCO
Labour market – Occupations - Skills/Competences- Qualifications
- Education/Training
How does ESCO benefit European citizens?
Employers, Job seekers, Learners, Workers and learners,
Education and training providers, Human resource managers
and employment services

19. The development status of any country in the world is
dependent upon one of the key indicators measured by
the achievement level of the competence of the national
standard classified workforce.
Workforce productivity is a revealing indicator of several
economic indicators as it offers a dynamic measure of
economic growth, competitiveness, and living standards
within an economy. It is the measure of workforce
productivity (and all that this measure takes into account)
which helps explain the principal economic foundations
that are necessary for both economic growth and social
development.

20. The theme of the keynote paper 1 “Promoting Skills for
the Future World of Work” is directly dependent upon
understanding the meaning of skill the need and
importance for developing the national standard
classification of the employed and upcoming workforce
and application thereof as the most valuable
tool/instrument for living and competing in the present and
future global world of work as developed nation.
The theme of the paper and its implication is applicable
not only for Bangladesh but for all the countries of the
world whether underdeveloped, fast developing and
developed. The challenges facing Bangladesh are required
to be resolved and the potentials harnessed.

21. The challenges facing Bangladesh are:
(a) Relating the education to the needs of the country
and producing the properly trained and motivated
citizen to serve those needs
(b) Transforming the employed and upcoming workforce
as per national standard classification.
(c) Application of the ICT (Information and
Communication Technology) within the frame of the
Digital Bangladesh for flattening the traditional
administrative hierarchy in both public and private
sectors and
(d) Revising the NTVQF as BQF

22. The most significant potential of the country is the
highest number of working age population of 128 million
occurring by 2030, the year of the least dependency in
100 years from 2000 -2100.
Harnessing of this has been embedded in the projection
of the employed and upcoming workforce in three
phases each with duration of 5 (five) years or more each
for the proposed the short term, medium term and long
term plan for emerging Bangladesh as developed nation
before target date.

23. The general objective of this conference on
“Skills for the Future World of Work and TVET for Global
Competitiveness” with 8 (eight) specific objectives
“ Eenvisages to establish a TVET network for encouraging
exchange of experiences and research findings and
innovations among the participating countries including
CPSC member states for mutual benefit and sustainable
development”.
The outcome of this conference as such expected to be
very useful for the mutual benefit and resolving the
challenges and harnessing the potentials.

24. The “Build Skill Bangladesh for Emerging Bangladesh as
Developed Nation” has recommended
That the Government should take immediate steps to start
with for promulgation/amendment of the 10 (ten) Acts/
Ordinances and operationalization thereof for resolving
the challenges facing Bangladesh with a view to ensuring
growth acceleration for emerging Bangladesh as the
developed nation even before the target date.
Out of the 10 (ten) recommended Acts/Ordinances 4 (Four)
are for the public and private sectors Governance of the
education and training programme and the 6 (Six)
covering Governance all the other public and private
sectors.

25. The 4 (four) recommended Acts/Ordinances for the
Governance of education and training programme and
each of the Acts/Ordinances will have in-built provision
of five/six statutory organizations.
These 4 (Four) Acts/Ordinances are:
1. Right To Education Act (in place of redundant Primary
Education Act 1990),
2. Amendment of the UGC Ordinance/Act 1973 and
University Acts,
3. National Skill Development Authority Act (For NSDC as
per Ex. Order 2008) and
4. National Education and Training Assessment Authority
Act (In place of the Bangladesh Technical Education Act
1967)