Published: 11:22 PM, 03 October 2026
Language skills essential for overseas jobs: Ariful
Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister ArifulHaqueChoudhuryon Saturday stressed the need for imparting foreign language training alongside technical skills to prepare workers for overseas employment.
He said the Bangladesh-Korea Technical Training Centre and the Women's Technical Training Centre in Chattogram should focus on teaching foreign languages alongside producing skilled workers.
The Minister made the remarks as the chief guest at an exchange meeting held at the auditorium of the Industrial Relations Institute in Nasirabad, Chattogramon Saturday afternoon, BSS reports.
"Workers need to know foreign languages," he said, calling for training in Japanese, English, Arabic and Korean to help workers enter international labour markets.
"These are our current markets. To enter this promising international labour market, producing skilled workers alone is not enough. Without language proficiency, those skills will be of no use," he added.
Officials of agencies under the Ministry of Labour and Employment and judges of the First and Second Labour Courts in Chattogram attended the meeting.
Earlier, he visited the Bangladesh-Korea Technical Training Centre and the Women's Technical Training Centre in the city, inspecting training sessions and other activities.
The Minister said there was a high demand for graphic designers and caregivers in overseas job markets, but these opportunities were not being adequately publicised.
"We must take more effective steps to promote them," he said, urging technical training centres across the country to provide language training relevant to the countries where their trainees could find employment.
He said he had visited several industrial establishments in Chattogram, describing private industries as national assets that could contribute more to the country with proper support.
"I want to take up the development of the Bangladesh-Korea Technical Training Centre as a challenge, with the cooperation of the government and BSRM," he said.
The Minister said necessary measures would be taken in collaboration with Chattogram City Corporation to revive the Technical Training Centre (TTC).
ArifulHaqueChoudhury also assured that the infrastructure problems at Chattogram'slabour courts would be resolved quickly and directed the Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment to take prompt action.
MdFarhadSiddique, Inspector General of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments presided over the meeting.
Chattogram City Corporation Mayor DrShahadatHossain, Labour and Employment Ministry Secretary MdAbdurRahmanTarafder, Dr Begum Jebunnesa, Chairman of the Second Labour Court in Chattogram and Senior District and Sessions Judge, Osman Gani, Chairman of the First Labour Court and District and Sessions Judge, and Hafez Ahmad Majumder, Director of the Divisional Labour Office, attended the meeting as special guests, among others.
