On February 6, 2025, the Colombo Plan Staff College welcomed the delegation from the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the Department of Youth Development, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Bangladesh for an insightful meeting and discussions on potential collaborations.

The visit was also in line with one of the leading projects of the ILO Country Office for Bangladesh called “Leaving No One Behind—Improving Skills and Economic Opportunities for the Bangladeshi Community and Rohingya Women and Youth in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh (ISEC Project).

The delegation aimed to visit CPSC to understand its roles and interventions executed by CPSC in catering to the needs of the youth and vulnerable groups especially in areas of skills and livelihood development and economic activities, and social behaviour changes for the member states which further aid the resilience and self-reliance of young women and men.

The delegation was composed of eight representatives, led by Mr. Khalid Hassan, Country Director of ILO to the Philippines, together with Mr. Md. Serajul Islam and Ms. Ruchika Bahl, National Project Manager and Chief Technical Adviser of ILO Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, respectively. They were also joined by the following delegates from the Ministry of Youth and Sports: Dr. Gazu Md. Saifuzzaman, Director General (Grade-I); Mr. Kazai Moklesur Rahman, Joint Secretary; Mr. M.A. Akher, Director (Administration); Mr. Md. Iqbal Hossain, Additional Secretary; and Mr. Md. Moazzem Hossain, Deputy Director.

The CPSC team sits down with the ILO and Bangladesh representatives during the meeting

During the meeting, CPSC Director General Prof. Dr. Suresh Kumar Dhameja officially welcomed the delegation with opening remarks, highlighting CPSC’s long-standing relationship with international organizations like the ILO, and Bangladesh as one of its member countries. Dr. Dhameja also provided a brief overview of CPSC and the Asia Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission (APACC) as he reflected on the previous programs and institutional evaluations conducted in Bangladesh. He also mentioned CPSC’s project similar to ISEC, which upskilled internally displaced youth in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, Philippines.

Mr. Khalid Hassan, Country Director of ILO to the Philippines, addressed some emerging challenges faced by the workforce such as gender disparities, youth unemployment, climate change, increasing digitalization, and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). He emphasized that these issues represent a major call to action for the government to develop programs aligned with the workforce demands and national employment policies. Further, Mr. Khalid thanked CPSC for the warm welcome to the delegation.

The meeting then proceeded with a series of presentations from Dr. Kesavan Ulaganathen, CPSC Governing Board-Engaged Faculty Consultant; and Prof. Naeem Yaqoob, CPSC Faculty Specialist, wherein they provided background on the training programs of CPSC. Prof. Naeem Yaqoob gave more details on the CPSC's Future Movers Project which the DG mentioned.

After the presentation, CPSC facilitated an open forum to discuss potential future engagements, in which Dr. Kesavan also introduced APACC and oriented them on the benefits of APACC accreditation.

Prof. Dr. Dhameja receives a token of appreciation from the ILO and Bangladesh delegates

To mark the end of the meeting, Prof. Dr. Dhameja presented tokens of appreciation to the ILO and Bangladesh representatives. Likewise, the CPSC DG received some gifts from the delegates in appreciation for the arranged visit.

(From L-R) Mr. Khalid Hassan, Country Director of ILO to the Philippines, Ms. Ruchika Bahl, Chief Technical Adviser of ILO Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, and CPSC Director General, Prof. Dr. Suresh Kumar Dhameja exchanging pleasantries after the formal discussions.

Some CPSC local staff also attended the meeting, including Ms. Arlene Cruz, Executive Secretary; Mr. Vergel Dela Paz, Training Officer; Mr. Lawrence Gonzales, Acting Projects and Consultancy Officer; Ms. Julifer Madeja, Asia Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission Officer (APACC); Mr. Justine Legaspi, ICT Officer; Ms. Stephanie Rimas, Research, Publications, and Information Division (RPID) Assistant; as well as Mr. Frankris Tan and Mr. Azam Khalid, Professional Interns.

The CPSC staff, together with the ILO and Bangladesh delegates pose for a commemorative group photo