The ministry of textiles and jute in Bangladesh has initiated a project for setting up 23 textile vocational institutes aiming to equip the underprivileged youths with critical technical skills sets.

At present there are 40 vocational institutes in the country, helping many unemployed youth to be self-reliant. The objectives of the project are to introduce textile vocational courses in 23 districts aiming to reduce poverty and development of socio-economic conditions of the underprivileged youth.

It will create skilled manpower for the textiles industries especially for the ready made garment sector. The project will help reach the goal of Vision 2021 when Bangladesh aspires to become a middle-income nation.

Clothing exports remain a crucial pillar of the economy and the sector employs more than four million workers, 80 per cent of whom are female.

In the July-April period of the outgoing fiscal year, the textiles and clothing sector brought in foreign currency amounting to 19.97 billion dollars, up from around 19 billion dollars in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

The country needs a large number of skilled manpower in the sector. Bangladesh is the second largest apparel exporter in the world after China.