Building Youth Employability through Skills (BYETS) 

The Project

The Building Youth Employability Through Skills (BYETS) project addresses this challenge by equipping young people with technical, employability, and entrepreneurial skills, and connecting them to sustainable income opportunities through decent jobs or self-employment.

Implemented by Swisscontact and supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, BYETS aims to reach 25,000 youths across three sectors:

• Readymade Garments (RMG),
• Agro-Processing (AP),
• and Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

By creating a market-driven training ecosystem and collaborating with the Government of Bangladesh, private industry, and development partners, BYETS creates pathways for dignified work and career growth.

BYETS Working Approach 

BYETS adopts an integrated, private sector–oriented model that strengthens local institutions and promotes lasting change. The project: 

• Builds the capacity of at least 20 Training Service Providers (TSPs) to design and deliver high-quality training, along with job placement support and career services;
• Facilitates improving existing Workplace-Based Training (WBT) systems or establishing new ones in at least 50 RMG and AP factories and enterprises to upskill and reskill workers and prepare them to join the factory’s production line; 
• Partners with government agencies, industry associations, and employers to foster a supportive policy and investment environment, ensuring sustainable business models and private sector participation;
• Enables trainees to have self-employment opportunities, aligning curricula with real labour-market needs while encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship; 
• Promotes gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), labour rights and decent work (LRDW), and environmental responsibilities (ER).