CARE launches skills training for 245,000 youths

CARE Bangladesh and its partner organisations have launched a skills development programme targeting 245,000 young women and men aged 18 to 35 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).

State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque inaugurated the programme at the “Youth and Employers Meet” held at the Bangladesh Institute of Management (BIM) in Sobhanbagh, Dhaka, on Wednesday.

The programme, under the Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (EARN) Project, will provide technical, entrepreneurship and socio-emotional skills training to help young people access employment and business opportunities.

The Department of Youth Development (DYD) under the Ministry of Youth and Sports is implementing the project with support from the World Bank.

Speaking at the event as the chief guest, Aminul Haque said creating employment opportunities was one of the government's key priorities, stressing the importance of equipping young people with skills that match labour market demands.

He called for practical pathways to employment and entrepreneurship and stronger collaboration among the government, private sector, development partners and training providers.

EARN Project Director and Additional Secretary Kazi Moklesur Rahman said the ultimate goal of skills training must be employment and income generation.

CARE Bangladesh Country Director Ram Das said direct engagement with employers would help ensure that training programmes remained responsive to market demand.

Dialogue between young people and employers would help identify skills gaps and clarify employers' actual recruitment requirements, he added.

Earl R Miller, senior strategic adviser to CARE Bangladesh and former US ambassador to Bangladesh, attended the event as a special guest.

He said the EARN Project was not merely a training programme but an initiative to build resilience by turning young people's potential into sustainable livelihoods.

CARE Bangladesh is implementing the EARN Project with joint venture partners, including the Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), The Earth Society, Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO), JAAGO Foundation, Mirpur Agricultural Workshop and Training School (MAWTS), TAHZINGDONG, UCEP Bangladesh and Dhaka Ahsania Mission.

The project will cover areas in Rajshahi, Khulna and Mymensingh divisions, as well as the Chittagong Hill Tracts.