To assess the effectiveness and labour market relevance of the training courses provided by the BRAC Institute of Skills Development (BRAC ISD) to the young people of Bangladesh, BIGD carried out a tracer study on the program graduates. The study finds positive impacts of the training program on its participants, indicating the scope and need for increasing the training.
Researchers: Dr Narayan C. Das; Tanvir Ahmed Mojumder; Nuzaba Tahreen Rahman Tumtumi
Partners: BRAC Institute of Skills Development (BRAC ISD)
Timeline: April–June 2021
Status: Completed
Method: Quantitative
Contact: Dr Narayan C. Das; narayan.das@bracu.ac.bd
Context
Recognizing the need for equipping the young generation of Bangladesh with practical skills demanded by the contemporary labour market, BRAC Institute of Skills Development (BISD), a training institute of BRAC, provides market-driven skills training to Bangladeshi youth in a wide range of sectors, from construction to graphic design to electrical engineering. To evaluate the success of the training program, the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), in collaboration with BISD, conducted a tracer study on program graduates from the years 2017, 2018, and 2019.
Objectives
The study aims to assess and analyze training participation; changes in participants’ employment and earnings; effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the program participants; participants’ level of income and welfare through simple indicators, such as changes in food security, personal expenditures, savings, etc.; graduates’ future employment expectations and their job satisfaction; gender-disaggregated impacts of the training program; participants’ self-perception about the effectiveness of the program; and participants’ recommendations to make the program more effective.
This study is relevant to SDG 1 (No Poverty), particularly to ending poverty in all its forms everywhere.
Methodology
Data were collected through a phone survey on program graduates from three cohorts and documents provided by BISD. We did a descriptive statistical analysis and, to have a picture of the complete scenario, evaluated the impact of the training program along with the COVID-19 effect and gender segregation.
Findings and Recommendations
The analysis finds that the graduates are better off and expect to improve their career forward shortly. The observed results refer to the strong and positive effects in the life of all the graduates.
Findings show that the employment rate of the respondents increased dramatically in the year 2021, with significant growth observed in the employment rate of women. We also noted a dramatic increase in the average income of the graduates compared with the pre-training period. Overall, more than 96% of those surveyed said that the training was useful to them. Those who received training in a different field from their existing line of work, however, are not very optimistic about finding a new job anytime soon. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the program participants’ employment, income, expenditure, and savings, but the rates gradually went up again.
Among other things, the participants have suggested increasing classroom time, employment opportunities by BRAC, a better coach, and more equipment for training.
Though there remains the scope of measuring the long-term impacts of the intervention through conducting further follow-up surveys, this study on graduates indicates the scope and need for more training to increase the number of efficient labour supplies in the market. Along with labour supply, there must also be policies to increase the demand by creating scopes and opportunities in the market.
