Female migrants on rise
In the past three years the country saw 80,509 technically trained women migrating abroad, a sign that such workers are on the rise with the creation of newer avenues for them.
Efforts were underway to find new destinations for women beyond Middle Eastern countries, the typical destination for Bangladesh's migrant workforce, said overseas employment ministry officials.
“The government is trying to find new destinations for female migrants, equipping them with necessary training and knowledge,” Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan told the news agency.
Those sent in the past three years were either skilled, semi-skilled or interns in technical know-how. The figure is 30,779 for 2011, 3,000 more than the previous year.
Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) officials said women with such qualifications are paid a monthly salary of Tk 10,000 to 12,000 in the Middle East.
To train migrant workers, the government formed Skill Development Fund last year with Tk 140 crore of “seed money” from which Tk 14 crore would be annually spent, said Dr Zafar.
“With proper training, these female fortune-seekers will be able to send a large volume of remittance,” he added.
Dr Zafar said Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib vocational training centre alongside 13 others are training women on different courses on housekeeping, languages, culture and security related issues.
Aspiring female migrants are receiving a 21-day training course from those centres run by Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), said its Director of training Engineer Mohammad Khalilur Rahman.
He said the government established at least 38 technical training centres across the country to train aspirant migrants on 45 courses at a nominal cost.
In 2011 the centres trained 65,569 workers, 59,000 in 2010 and 46,000 in 2009.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Bank officials said remittance flow maintained its upward trend in the first week this month with the country receiving US $ 250 million.
“If this trend continues, incoming remittance could cross the US $ 1.20 billion mark at the end of this month,” Saidur Rahman, general manager of Bangladesh Bank's Forex Reserve and Treasury Management Department, told the news agency.
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