DHAKA
\nBangladeshi authorities are revamping training for prospective migrant workers and will offer upskilling programs to those residing in Saudi Arabia to tap into the labor market ahead of the FIFA World Cup, which the Kingdom will host in 2034.
\nLast month, the football governing body confirmed that Saudi Arabia had won the bid to host the world\u2019s largest sporting event.
\nWith the bid proposing to hold games across 15 stadiums in five cities, many new migrant workers will be involved in building new sports and transport networks, as well as hotel infrastructure.
\nIn Bangladesh, which has a major expat community in Saudi Arabia, the trend is viewed as an \u201copportunity\u201d for the country\u2019s migrant workers, according to A.Z.M. Nurul Huq, joint secretary at the employment wing of the Ministry of Expatriates\u2019 Welfare and Overseas Employment.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a huge task, and a lot of construction works will take place targeting this World Cup event. Here lies the opportunity for us as our migrants have been working with much goodwill in many sectors of the Kingdom for many years,\u201d Huq told Arab News.
\n\u201cSaudi Arabia has to build over a dozen new stadiums, renovate existing ones and develop numerous new accommodation facilities, along with necessary infrastructure and connectivity.\u201d
\nSome 3 million Bangladeshi nationals live and work in Saudi Arabia. They are the largest expat group in the Kingdom and also the biggest Bangladeshi community outside Bangladesh.
\nMany are employed in the construction sector as masons, electricians, pipe fitters, plumbers and electricians.
\n\u201cBangladeshi migrants can be more actively employed in the construction work for the FIFA World Cup,\u201d Huq said.
\n\u201cWorks are underway for providing reskilling and upskilling services to migrants who are already in the Kingdom. In this way, our workers will be able to secure their jobs and earn more.\u201d
\nFor the past few years, as Saudi Arabia is prioritizing efforts to improve the professional competence of employees under its Vision 2030 program, the expatriates\u2019 ministry has been collaborating with the Kingdom\u2019s skills verification authority, Takamol.
\nThe agency, which manages migrant skill certification based on the needs of Saudi employers, provides Bangladesh\u2019s 113 technical training centers with a list of the Kingdom\u2019s latest workforce requirements.
\n\u201cOur centers tailor their programs to equip workers with the necessary skills. Upon completing the training, the prospective migrants receive certification through Takamol, which is recognized by Saudi authorities,\u201d said Shah Zulfiquer Haider, deputy secretary at the ministry\u2019s training wing.
\nAs demand is set to increase in line with 2034 World Cup projects, more Bangladeshi training centers will focus on the Saudi market in particular.
\n\u201cWe are planning to strengthen our collaboration with Takamol,\u201d Haider said. \u201cCurrently, a dozen technical training centers are preparing skilled workers to meet Saudi Arabia\u2019s demands. We will soon increase the number of training centers, which will produce more skilled migrants tailored to the needs of the Saudi labor market.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DHAKA Bangladeshi authorities are revamping training for prospective migrant workers and will offer upskilling programs to those residing in Saudi Arabia to tap into the labor market ahead of the FIFA World Cup, which the Kingdom will host in 2034. Last month, the football governing body confirmed that Saudi Arabia had won the bid to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":453443,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-453412","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n