IOM Dhaka has hosted a two day training of trainers on domestic work for a select group of trainers from Government and non government organizations.

The training, a refresher course focusing on housekeeping, was attended by 12 trainers from different Government technical training centres. IOM develop a Standardized Training Manual on domestic work and provided training to Government and non government trainers in 2007.

The refresher training was a request from the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training of the Government, as they are in the process of expanding the training all over the country. IOM and BMET have a long standing collaboration on capacity building initiatives, including preparation of pre-departure materials and training manuals.

The training was facilitated by IOM staff and addressed general guidelines for trainers along with regular housekeeping curriculum, caring for children, elderly and sick people, health and hygiene, personal and professional safety, remittance management, language skill etc.

‘Providing training to improve social skills and internationally acceptable standard certification for the migrant workers particularly for women will go a long way in improving the marketability abroad of Bangladeshi workers’, said IOM Regional Representative for South Asia Ms. Rabab Fatima.

‘The Government is keen to develop skills of women migrant workers and expand training facilities across the country. There is a growing demand particularly in western countries on care giving, where Bangladeshi women could suit well’, said Mr. Ahsan Habib, Director, Training, BMET.

Although migrant workers from Bangladesh are mostly men, there is a growing demand and trend in several countries for Bangladeshi women to work as domestic aid, nurses, house keepers and in the garments industries. The 4% women among the total migrant worker population may not seem significant, but that totals to more than 20,843 women working abroad. However, this figure does not reflect the overall number of undocumented female migrants working in Asia and the Middle East, which is believed to be much higher.

The training manual developed with IOM support is now used for training of women migrant workers who go to different destination countries as household helpers. IOM is also assisting the government to upgrade a key technical training centre in Faridpur district, as a commitment to skill development of the women migrants of Bangladesh.

For more information, contact: Asif Munier, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or Tanya Huq Shahryar, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Phone: 9889765 End