SICIP – Skills for Industry Competitiveness and Innovation Program

About the Program

Who We Are

Funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Co-financed by Government of Bangladesh (GoB)

Implemented by Ministry of Finance, Bangladesh

The Skills for Industry Competitiveness and Innovation Program (SICIP) is designed to cultivate a workforce proficient in emerging technologies, with a particular focus on priority and new industries in Bangladesh. Supported by a $300 million results-based lending facility from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) & $75 million from GoB, SICIP aligns with the Government of Bangladesh’s Skills Development Framework for Economic Competitiveness 2023 and the Eighth Five Year Plan.

Over its six-year implementation period (2024–2029), SICIP is expected to benefit approximately 220,000 new and existing workers. Building upon the government’s flagship Skills for Employment Investment Program (SEIP)—financed by ADB through a $350 million multi-tranche facility and implemented from 2014 to 2024—SICIP has broadened its scope to enhance productivity and employability across thirteen priority sectors.

It expands training and strengthens the development ecosystem to encompass additional emerging sectors, including semi-conductors, automotive, electronics, and pharmaceuticals.

Industry Alignment

Curricula co-developed with leading employers and industry associations

Gender Inclusion

Targeted interventions ensuring women's meaningful participation

Quality Assurance

Standardised competency framework and national assessment system

SDG Alignment

Designed to contribute to Goals 4, 5, 8, and 10 of the 2030 Agenda

Schemes & Outputs

SICIP Schemes and Outputs

Scheme 1

Advanced Technical Skills, Managerial Capabilities, and R&D Driven Innovation Capacity Development for Priority and Emerging Industries.

1. By 2028, at least 5 industries–academic partnerships established for advanced skills programs.
2. By 2028, at least 20 advanced technical courses implemented based on industry demands, including at least 3 courses specifically targeted for women.
3. By 2028, at least 4,800 people (at least 15% women) enrolled in industry-demanded advanced or emerging technology courses.
4. By 2028, at least 35 practical training labs or workshops in advanced technologies created and operational for training (e.g. BUFT, STTLs, BITAC, polytechnics), including green technologies.

Scheme 2

Expansion of Skills for Employment and Socially Inclusive Training for Priority and Emerging Sectors

1. By 2028, at least 12 performance (results)-based training contracts signed and implemented with industry and NGO partners, covering at least 9 priority and emerging sectors.
2. By 2028, at least 160,000 people (at least 30% women) enrolled in competency-based job-ready basic and mid-level skills courses.
3. By 2028, at least 23,000 women enrolled in women-targeted skills programs, including multi-skilling courses and green skills programs.
4. By 2028, at least 10,000 people from socially disadvantaged groups.
5. By 2028, at least 18,000 people enrolled in international certificate courses for potential migrant workers.

Scheme 3

Enhancing Institutional Capacity for Skills Monitoring and Management

1. By 2024, an industry advisory board established to provide guidance on sector coverage and emerging skills requirements for advanced level training (DLI 3)
2. By 2024, TMS modules enhanced to report on different levels of skills training and track progress in DLIs, with disaggregated data of trainees by gender and other attributes (DLI 9)
3. By 2028, analytic reports based on TMS data produced annually, with disaggregated analysis by gender and socially disadvantaged groups (DLI 9)
4. By 2028, internal audits conducted by covering at least 10 implementing partners according to annual internal audit plans, and action plans developed based on audit results (DLI 9)

Output 1

Capacity for advanced technical skills training developed for emerging and priority sectors

1. Develop and deliver new courses on higher-level technical skills for priority and emerging sectors—such as electronics, automotive, and pharmaceuticals—through partnerships between industries and educational/training institutes.
2. Convert selected polytechnics in industrial areas into specialized institutions offering customized skills courses for emerging industries.
3. Enhance institutional capacity to produce skilled BPO agents and specialists in emerging technologies, including green technologies. This includes creating an automotive skills training centre at a polytechnic focused on electric vehicles, establishing smart textile technology living labs at two textile engineering colleges, and offering high-demand, technology-based courses at garment universities and a light engineering institute.
4. Facilitate international partnerships for knowledge transfer, instructor training, and capacity development to implement advanced technical courses.

Output 2

Managerial Capabilities and Green Innovation Capacity Strengthened

1. Institutionalize executive development centres (EDCs) previously introduced under SEIP for mid-level managerial training at partner universities.
2. Redesign EDC courses to reflect industry technology trends and global environmental standards, integrating green technologies and sustainable business practices.
3. Promote applied research and development (R&D) for industry solutions and incubation by providing competitive grants. This initiative aims to foster collaborative innovation in industrial production and value-added product or service development, prioritizing projects that support SMEs and climate-resilient products or services.
4. Develop government policies or programs to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and skills from overseas scientists and engineers of Bangladeshi origin, connecting local industries and academia to global networks.

Output 3

Access to socially inclusive skilling and upskilling expanded

1. Deliver basic and mid-level skills training for new entrants and existing workers through industry partnerships, following SICIP’s sector-focused training model. Implementation will be coordinated with the National Skills Development Authority and National Human Resource Development Fund.
2. Design targeted skills programs for socially disadvantaged groups—including people with disabilities, transgender individuals, and ethnic minorities—as well as women garment sector workers at risk of automation-related job losses, and those affected by the transition to a low-carbon economy.
3. Scale up internationally certified skills courses for potential migrant workers, enabling them to secure better employment opportunities overseas and contribute to increased remittance flows.

Scope

Sicip Scope

The program encompasses all levels of skills development across multiple priority and emerging sectors. It will establish a responsive ecosystem for advanced and technology-oriented skills training through targeted capacity-building initiatives and funding mechanisms. SICIP will facilitate mid-level management training via university partnerships to address the shortage of skilled managerial and supervisory personnel. These courses will be designed to align with current and future industry needs, including skills for climate-resilient business processes. Targeted training programs will support inclusive skilling and upskilling for women and marginalized groups, while multi-skilling initiatives will help garment sector workers adapt to automation-induced job losses. Additionally, SICIP will enhance the international competitiveness of Bangladeshi workers by offering globally certified training for potential migrant workers.

Mandates

SICIP Mandates

Training Programs

Increase the number of technology-oriented skilled workers across both emerging and priority sectors;

Skilling & Upskilling Opportunities

Promote inclusive skilling and upskilling opportunities for women and socially disadvantaged groups

Construction

Construction is going on in 9 places.

Advance Skills

Advance skills for climate-resilient manufacturing and green technologies.

Industry Academia Partnerships

Incentivize industry–university partnerships to foster innovation capacity and enhance industry competitiveness.

Monitoring & Evaluation

Real-time MIS tracking trainee progress, employment outcomes, and performance indicators across all 64 districts and implementation sites.