DATE: September 6-12, 2026 |
Type: Study Visit |
ORGANIZERS: Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC), Philippines in Collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) Office in Bangladesh. |
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.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
Upon completion of the training program, the participants are expected to achieve the following outcomes:
- Gain practical insights into decentralized TVET funding and management and local public employment support services.
- Gain knowledge of data interoperability, digital systems, and AI-assisted candidate matching for TVET and employment services.
- Examine Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), skills assessment, and career guidance approaches.
- Explore green skills, youth apprenticeship, dual training, and employer-led training approaches.
- Learn industry partnerships, job fairs, job portal analytics, e-TESDA, and micro-credentials.
- Synthesize the study visit learnings into actionable regulatory, institutional, and operational frameworks for Bangladesh.
EXPECTED OUTPUTS
During the six (6) day study visits, the participants will engage in institutional visits, technical workshops, roundtable discussions, field observations, and action-planning activities. These activities are designed to facilitate practical learning on TVET, public employment services, digital systems, skills assessment, industry partnerships, and innovative workforce development approaches, and to translate the learning into actionable regulatory, institutional, and operational frameworks for Bangladesh. The study visit will culminate in the final presentation, cross-track review, and sign-off of the Bangladesh Skills & Employment Framework.
METHODOLOGY
The following instructional methodologies will be utilized to effectively train the participants:
- Face-to-face discussions
- Exercises
- Experience Sharing
- Use of OnCOURSE Learning Management System
- Study Visits
- Institutional Action Planning and Peer Review
- Study Visit Components
- Day 2: Policy Orientation & Decentralized Governance
- The participants will examine the institutional arrangements for TVET governance and public employment services through engagements with the Bureau of Local Employment (BLE), DOLE Central Office, the RTESDC - TESDA, and the Taguig City PESO. The sessions will focus on inter-agency coordination, decentralized TVET governance, local financing, and the delivery of public employment services.
- Day 3: Digital Systems, Field Operations & Skill
Assessment
- The participants will visit the TESDA ICTO, TESDA Women' s Center and Assessment Center, the TESDA NCR Flagship Training Center, the Quezon City PESO, the Quezon City Youth Development Office, E-TESDA Unit, and the Caloocan City PESO. The visits will expose participants to systems interoperability, localized employment services, technical training facilities, automated job matching, Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), skills assessment, and youth career guidance.
- Day 4: Green Technology, School-to-Work Transition &
Enterprise Training
- The participants will engage with the TESDA Green Technology Center (GTC), the Department of Migrant Workers, the TESDA Enterprise-Based Training Division, and the Philippine Commission on Women. The activities will focus on green technology training, youth school-to-work transition programs, dual training systems, enterprise partnerships, migrant support, and reintegration services.
- Day 5: Enterprise Partnerships, Job Fairs & System
Convergence
- The participants will visit the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, observe a designated PESO Job Fair Venue sponsored by PESO GMA, Cavite. Engage with the TESDA Women’s Center Partner Hotel, and visit the International Labour Organization of Manila. The activities will enable participants to examine workplace-based apprenticeship, employer engagement, job fair operations, private-sector participation in TVET, and national job portal analytics and integration.
- Day 6: Action Planning Workshop
- The participants will undertake a Back-Home Action Plan Co-Design Workshop and Policy Synthesis with the ILO Manila Office. The 17 delegates will consolidate their learning from the study visits into actionable regulatory, institutional, and operational frameworks for Bangladesh, followed by a final presentation, cross-track review, and sign-off on priority timelines under the Bangladesh Skills & Employment Framework.
DATE AND VENUE
The program will be conducted at the Colombo Plan Staff College, Pasig City in the Philippines from September 6-12, 2026.
PARTICIPANTS’ PROFILE
The program is intended for 17 multi-stakeholder representatives from Bangladesh under the ProGRESS Project, comprising representatives from government agencies, regulatory bodies, employer associations, trade unions, and project leadership. The delegation is divided into two groups: 8 participants under the Skills Track and 9 participants under the Employment Track.
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
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Prior to being CPSC’s Director General, Prof. Dr. Suresh Kumar Dhameja has served CPSC for 3 years as a Governing Board-engaged Faculty Consultant from September 2005 to September 2008. During his stint in CPSC he handled the Training, Research and APACC Divisions and the General Services Division as its Director. Prof. (Dr.) Dhameja was a Professor in the Department of Entrepreneurship Development & Industrial Coordination (EDIC) at the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (A Deemed to be University), Chandigarh in India before he joined CPSC as a Director General. He has held various positions at NITTTR including Dean (Academic and International Affairs), Head of Departments of EDIC, Information Management & Emerging Engineering (IMEE) and Chairman of Academic Cell. The CPSC Director General earned his Bachelor in Civil Engineering, M.Tech in Geotechnical Engineering followed by an MBA and doctorate degree in Business Management from premier universities in India. He started his career as Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering at National Institute of Technology, India in 1985 and has a total work experience of 39 Years of Teaching, Training and Research. Prof. (Dr.) Dhameja has visited more than 30 countries including USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, and Italy, apart from many countries in the Asia Pacific region such as Bhutan, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, etc. for conducting training programs and consultancy assignments. He has many honours and distinctions to his credit and has received letters of appreciation from many international dignitaries including Ambassadors, UN under-Secretary General, Director Generals and Secretary Generals of many international organizations. Prof. (Dr.) Dhameja has published more than 40 papers in International and National Journals, presented 143 papers in International and National Conferences and has chaired technical sessions in many international and national conferences both within India and abroad. He is a member of the Task Force on Women and Youth Entrepreneurship at UN-ESCAP Bangkok. Prof. (Dr.) Dhameja has authored and edited 22 books (Both International and National) in the area of Environmental Engineering, Environmental Management, Entrepreneurship and has guided 6 PhDs and many M.Tech students both at International and National Level. |
|
She is currently a Faculty Specialist at
the Colombo Plan Staff College, served as the School Administrator and
Assessment Center Manager at Keystone Technical Institute in Quezon;
and as Assistant Professor I at QNAS, TESDA Quezon,
Philippines. Her career reflects a strong commitment to advancing skills development, promoting gender-responsive and green TVET initiatives, and fostering innovation in digital and competency-based education. With extensive speaking engagements, training facilitation, and consultancy work, she continues to play a pivotal role in strengthening TVET systems both in the Philippines and abroad. |
Program Schedule
| Day | 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM | 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | 2:00PM
- 3:30 PM |
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day
2 (Mon) |
Opening Ceremony
(CPSC Conference Room) |
Activity 2.1:
by:
(CPSC
Conference Room) |
Activity 2.2 A&B: High-Level
Briefing on Inter-Agency PESO and TESDA
Coordination |
LUNCH
BREAK @OWN CHOICE |
Activity 2.2A:
------------------------------------
To
be led by: |
Activity 2.3A:
------------------------------------------ (Roundtable
on PESO Localization and Municipal Financing) To
be led by: |
| Day | 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM | 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM | 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM | 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM | |
| Day
3 (Tues) |
Activity 3:
Most
Important Learnings from Yesterday
To
be led by:
|
Activity 3.1A:
--------------------------- Study Visit 3.1B: (Youth
Transition & Guidance Services))
|
Activity 3.1A: (Session on RPL and Skill Assessment Frameworks) TWC
and
To
be led by: |
Activity
3.2A:
To
be led by: ---------------------------------------- Study Visit 3.2B: (Site
Visit to Quezon City PESO and QCYDO) To
be led by: |
Activity 3.3A: (Session on e-TESDA and Micro-Credentials) with
|
|
| Day | 8:00
AM - 8:30 AM |
10:00 AM - 12:00 AM | 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM | 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM | ||
| Day
4 (Wed) |
Activity 4: (Reflections on Day 3) Most
Important Learnings from Yesterday by: (CPSC
Conference Room) |
Activity 4.1A: (Exposure
Visit to TESDA Green Technology Center) To
be led by: --------------------------------------- Activity 4.1B : (Understanding
PESO roles with Migrant Workers) To
be led by:
|
Activity 4.2A: (Tripartite
Dialogue on Dual Training Systems (DTS)) To
be led by: ---------------------------------------- Activity 4.2B: (Visit) To
be led by:
|
Activity 4.3B: (Discussion
on gender-responsive policies and
opportunities)
To
be led by:
|
||
| Day | 8:00
AM - 8:30 AM |
10:00 AM - 12:00 AM | 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM | 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM | ||
| Day
5 (Thurs) |
Activity 5: (Reflections on Day 4) Most
Important Learnings from Yesterday
(CPSC
Conference Room) |
Activity 5.1A: (Roundtable
with Employers Confederation of the
Philippines)
To
be led by: --------------------------------------- Activity 5.1B: (Field
Observation of a Live PESO Job Fair) To
be led by:
|
Activity 5.3 A&B: (Joint
Convergence)
|
|||
| Day | 9:00
AM - 1:00 PM |
2:30 PM - 4:30 PM | 4:30 PM - 5:00 PM | |||
|
Day
6 (Fri) |
Activity 6.1: (Back-Home Action Plan Co-Design Workshop & Policy Synthesis) by:
|
Activity 6.2: Final Action Plan: Endorsement & Sign-off. The Bangladesh Skills & Employment Framework: Final presentation, cross-track review, and sign-off on priority timelines.
|
Closing Ceremony | |||
