KOICA and UNICEF train 18,000 Bangladeshi women for jobs and entrepreneurship
South Korea's KOICA, together with UNICEF, completed a five-year program that equipped about 18,000 out-of-school girls and young women in Bangladesh with vocational skills, achieving an 84% employment or business linkage rate.
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and UNICEF wrapped up a five-year vocational program that reached roughly 18,000 adolescent girls and young women who had left school in Bangladesh. Started in 2022, the project covered seven regions, including the capital Dhaka, and offered training aligned with local labor market needs, from information technology and mobile phone repair to automobile maintenance, tailoring, beauty services and driver education.
Beyond classroom instruction, the scheme connected trainees with firms for practical experience, assisted with job placement, supported new business creation, and opened access to financial products. Some beneficiaries have already launched market stalls that remain operational after three months. Parallel community campaigns sought to encourage families and neighborhoods to back women’s education and economic participation. At a ceremony in the Sheraton Dhaka, Kim Ji-hoon, KOICA’s Bangladesh country director, pledged continued cooperation with the Bangladeshi government and international partners to expand sustainable livelihoods for young women.
Why it matters
Empowering thousands of Bangladeshi women with marketable skills tackles gender inequality and boosts the country's labor force.
In this story
