The Vocational Training and Employment Support Services (VTESS) project provides impoverished children and young people with low-cost vocational training in 14 trades.

Evening literacy classes for adults are also conducted in the centre and training is followed up by employment support services.

This programme enables participants to find sustainable means of earning a living.

Increased migration to Bangladesh's major cities has caused alarming increases in poverty, particularly in Dhaka city. Most migrants end up in slums and squatter settlements where there are few services and little access to education.

In January 2003, Islamic Relief established four vocational training centres in strategic locations in the slums of Dhaka city. Trainees receive vocational training and employment support services.

Fourteen different courses are available at the centre including IT, electrical training, tailoring, tiling, plumbing, first aid and nursing, signboard design and watch repair.

Surveys of participants at Islamic Relief's training centres show that 87% find work whether in self employment or in waged employment.

The project also includes numeracy and literacy classes that supplement the government's Education for All (EFA) initiative by focusing on groups that are out of the scope of the government programme.

Project Objectives

·         Providing access to cost-effective practical vocational education for underprivileged children, young people and other vulnerable groups;

·         Employment support services for participants on the training courses;

·         Enhancing employment opportunities;

·         Establishing cost-effective numeracy and literacy education.

Project Activities

• Creating the infrastructure for education and training;
• Developing skills of the participants;
• Providing an employment support service;
• Provide credit for graduates entrepreneurs
• Developing a functional operating and monitoring system;
• Establishing links with governmental agencies, NGOs and other relevant bodies for mutual cooperation.
• Awareness rising among the targeted community on vocational training facilities.

"Islamic Relief is striving for a fairer world. Our mission is to help the poor and needy to live sustainable, self-reliant lives within safe and caring communities. Our work is guided and shaped by the core values of accountability, humanitarianism, neutrality and impartiality, inclusiveness, integrity and co-operation, all of which are also integral to the Islamic faith."
Dr Hany El Banna - Founder of Islamic Relief

Islamic Relief was established in 1984 and our unique approach is the result of these many years of hands-on experience.

1. Where possible we adopt a community partnership-based approach; encouraging community involvement, understanding and ownership of projects.
2. We run the majority of our field projects ourselves, giving us direct insight into the problems faced and how best to solve them.
3. We aim to empower those we help in order to achieve sustainable results.
4. Though our emergency response teams are quick to respond to emergencies around the world, we continue to support communities long after the initial media interest has died down.
5. We recruit staff locally to benefit from their local knowledge. This ensures that we are culturally sensitive and allows us to reach communities and areas other organisations cannot.
6. Where necessary we coordinate our work with other reputable aid agencies, local organisations and governments.

Millennium Development Goals

Islamic Relief is committed to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which have been agreed by the world’s leading development institutions in an effort to meet the needs of the world’s poorest by the year 2015. 

The goals:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development

For more information about the MDGs, please visit: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/