81314340-Improvement of the competency-based training framework for disadvantaged women in greater Dhaka

Bangladesh has registered positive economic growth for much of the past decade, yet poverty remains widespread as the country is confronted with major labour market challenges. There is a high prevalence of low-income and informal employment, while wage employment constitutes a small part of the market. Moreover, the labour market is characterised by a strong correlation between the lack of skills development opportunities, low skill status of workers, low productivity and earnings in both the formal and informal sectors, and a high rate of gender inequality. Increasing workers" skills and overcoming gender imbalances will play a vital role in the future development of the country. Bangladeshi women face significant structural barriers to participating in the income generation workforce. Compared to men, they are less likely to engage in skills development and more likely to be unemployed. These disparities are rooted in systemic challenges including gender stereotypes, limited job opportunities, occupational inequality, and the heavy burden of domestic and caregiving responsibilities. Additionally, women often lack access to essential networks, face restrictive social norms, and operate within an environment where there is a lack of supportive gender policies and infrastructure. Enhancing women's employment opportunities and their economic and social empowerment through skills programs and employment promotion is key to a sustainable economic development. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has been working as a development partner of Bangladesh since 1972. The project "Skills Training and Employment Promotion for Women Workers in Bangladesh" (ADVANTAGE) aims to gear selected elements of the skills development system in Bangladesh more towards the needs of young, disadvantaged women by improving access to short-term trainings that qualify them for employment. The project builds the capacities of training providers to implement gender responsive and labour market-oriented trainings, while focusing on women"s empowerment, gender transformation, and increased awareness of gender equality. ADVANTAGE further partners with the National Skill Development Authority (NSDA) to design and develop inclusive, gender responsive, and transformative strategies, innovative approaches, and guidelines, and collaborates with local civil society to create awareness and change stereotypes regarding skills and labour market participation. The target group of ADVANTAGE consists of women aged 14 to 35 with an education up to grade 10, as well as other vulnerable groups (e.g. transgender population, persons with disabilities), with measures implemented in Dhaka Division. Specifically, ADVANTAGE strengthens the capacities of selected governmental and private skills training institutions by developing new competency-based training courses aimed primarily at young, disadvantaged women and by improving the personnel and institutional conditions for an effective and sustainable implementation of these courses. The tenderer is responsible for improving the competency-based training (CBT) framework for disadvantaged women by developing new gender-responsive CBT courses and updating existing ones, training trainers, managers, and master trainers to implement these courses, and providing an infrastructural needs assessment of selected training institutions to improve training conditions. All measures should sustainably improve access to quality vocational training and employment for women based on greater gender equality.