Building women's technical skills

IT is not always that we see women in gender non-conforming roles, such as an auto-mechanic or CNG puller. Although some NGOs have taken initiatives to support and train women for employment in male-dominated professions in the past, we are heartened to see that the government itself is playing an active role in building the technical capacities of underprivileged women.

The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (Mowca), in collaboration with UCEP, a local NGO, is providing training in technical skills such as basic computer skills, driving, auto-mechanics, dairy and poultry production, etc. We believe that this training will give its participants, many of whom are divorced and survivors of marital violence, a chance to stand on their own feet and take back control of their lives.

We applaud the women who are brave and determined enough to pursue a career in male-dominated fields. We urge employers to let go of their prejudices against women and undertake affirmative action if and when necessary to address the gender imbalance in many professions.

Currently, however, the programme is targeting only a handful of women. We hope that Mowca would implement similar programmes in the future, targeting more women from across the country.

As of now, only 10 crore taka has been spent, and only 40 crore taka approved, for enhancing women's skills and entrepreneurial capacities despite an allocated 280 crore taka in the budget during this government's tenure. As such, there is much scope for implementing programmes to enable women to successfully participate and compete in the workforce.