Date: September 6-12, 2026 /
Program Type: Study Visit /

BACKGROUND

The International Labour Organization (ILO) Office in Bangladesh, through the Promoting Gender Responsive Enterprise Development and TVET Systems (ProGRESS) Project, is supporting the Government of Bangladesh in advancing women’s economic empowerment through policy reforms, enterprise development, and skills development. Funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented from 2022 to 2027, the project places gender equality, inclusive employment, and green skills at the center of efforts to strengthen Bangladesh’s technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and employment systems.

The ProGRESS Project works with key government institutions, including the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) under the Technical and Madrasah Education Division (TMED), as well as the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE), to promote accessible, inclusive, sustainable, and market-responsive skills development and employment opportunities. Particular attention is given to increasing women’s participation in skills training, wage and self-employment, entrepreneurship, and emerging green-growth sectors, while addressing barriers faced by women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other disadvantaged groups.

These priorities are particularly relevant in the context of Bangladesh’s evolving TVET and employment landscape. As the country advances its TVET Implementation Plan 2025-2030 and strengthens its institutional mechanisms for employment services, there is a growing need to develop effective labour market systems that are responsive to industry demand, inclusive of vulnerable groups, and capable of connecting skills development with productive and decent employment opportunities.

In support of these priorities, the ILO ProGRESS Project, in partnership with the Colombo Plan Staff College is organizing a study visit to the Philippines for a high-level, 18-member delegation from Bangladesh. The study visit is designed to provide participants with first-hand exposure to Philippine policies, institutional practices, and innovative approaches in TVET, employment services, labour market information, and workforce development.

The Philippines offers relevant experiences through institutions such as the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), particularly in the areas of industry-driven skills development, Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs), Labor Market Information Systems (LMIS), Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), micro-credentials, and digital platforms. The delegation will have the opportunity to examine how these systems and initiatives contribute to strengthening the link between skills development, employment services, industry requirements, and labour market outcomes.

Through institutional visits, technical discussions, knowledge-sharing sessions, and interaction with relevant Philippine stakeholders, the delegation will gain practical insights into policies, governance mechanisms, service delivery models, digital solutions, and industry partnerships that may be adapted to the Bangladesh context. The learning from the study visit will contribute to the development of a draft strategic framework for strengthening Bangladesh’s TVET system and establishing effective Employment Exchange Centres that provide inclusive, gender-responsive, and demand-driven employment services.

The study visit therefore provides an opportunity for Bangladesh and the Philippines to exchange knowledge and experiences on building responsive TVET and employment systems, while identifying practical approaches that can contribute to greater economic participation, decent work, and inclusive workforce development.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

At the end of the study tour, the participants are expected to:

• Gain practical knowledge on gender-responsive TVET systems, inclusive employment services, and industry engagement practices.
• Obtain first-hand information and gather insights on the various policies, programs, and strategies of the Philippine Government under TESDA and the DOLE.
• Examine practices promoting women's participation in non-traditional skills/jobs.
• Identify relevant practices and approaches that can strengthen Bangladesh’s TVET and employment service systems.
• Learn about women’s participation, leadership in skills development, and employment.

Date: September 7-11, 2026 /
Program Type: Regional Program /

BACKGROUND/RATIONALE

The Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC), as an inter-governmental international organization for TVET in Asia and the Pacific region, continues to promote the development of research capacity as a critical component of institutional improvement, evidence-based decision-making, and innovation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). In the current environment, TVET institutions are increasingly expected to generate and use research evidence to improve curriculum relevance, training delivery, graduate outcomes, and responsiveness to labor market and industry needs.

Despite this imperative, many TVET practitioners still encounter challenges in transforming institutional concerns into researchable problems, selecting appropriate methods, and producing practical outputs that can lead to policy and program improvement. To address this need, the present program is designed as a focused virtual training initiative that will provide participants with practical tools, structured guidance, and guided task-based learning opportunities. The design is consistent with CPSC’s online capacity-building practice, which emphasizes applied learning, participant engagement, and institutional relevance.

The program allows participants to engage in self-paced completion of session-related tasks between live online sessions. A five-day format with 4 hour synchronous sessions per day is intended to maintain learning intensity while also providing sufficient time for reflection, drafting, and completion of practical outputs.

OBJECTIVES

The program aims to:

• Strengthen participants’ understanding of TVET research as a practical tool for evidence-based institutional development.
• Develop participants’ capability to identify researchable issues and formulate relevant research questions and objectives.
• Equip participants with practical and user-friendly tools for research design, data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Enable participants to prepare a draft TVET research concept note or mini-proposal relevant to their institutional context.
• Promote the application of research findings in curriculum development, training improvement, institutional planning, and policy support.
• Foster a culture of inquiry, collaboration, and evidence-based practice among TVET professionals in CPSC member countries.