The government is providing training to jobless youths to reduce unemployment rate in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and make Bangladesh a middle-income country by 2021, says the youth and sports minister.
Biren Sikder said, as part of an initiative to make the youths skilled and provide employment for them, the government is organising different training programmes, including skilling them with modern technology like ICT, motor vehicle driving, computer use and programming, and graphic designing as the youths are the change-makers.
He said this while addressing a programme on 'Increasing Investment, Young People Leading Transformation', organised by ActionAid, Bangladesh at a hotel in the capital on Tuesday.
ActionAid, Bangladesh County Director Farah Kabir and Director General of NGO Affairs Bureau K M Abdus Salam were also present and spoke, among others.
In her speech, Farah Kabir said that half the population of the country is youth. "If we failed to make them skilled and competent, they would not contribute to the country's development," she said urging the government to provide more financial support for youths' employment.
Echoing Farah Kabir, K M Abdus Salam said to meet the Sustainable Development Goal and become a middle-income nation there is no alternative to put emphasis on youth employment and provide them with training to fight unemployment.
Biren Sikder said that the ministry provides loan upto Tk 0.15 million (1.5 lakh) to the youths who successfully complete their training course.
Besides, in cooperation with the government-owned Karmasangsthan Bank, the ministry also offers them Tk0.5 million (Tk5 lakh) to Tk1.0 million (Tk10 lakh) for entrepreneurship, he mentioned.
Furthermore, the government has taken another initiative, named 'national service programme', primarily in seven upazilas of the country he said, adding at the district level, the government is implementing the programme through District Commissioner and Upazila Nirbahi Officer.
Primarily, unemployed youths (aged 24-35) are eligible to receive training and after evaluation of their performance and scrutiny of their documents, the DC office will select and enrolled a number of youths from among them for further training, the minister informed.
The youths will also get Tk 1,500 to 4,500 per month for two years after completion of their training, he further informed, adding that the selected youths will get job opportunities.
Sikder also narrated some stories of youths becoming successful in their life after received training. He believed those stories would help inspire more youths to be self-employed and become successful entrepreneurs.
The speakers also warned that the country will face crisis by 2041 if it fails to provide necessary education, skill and employments to youths.
Saleemul Haque, Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development, and Peter Bough, Head of Development Cooperation, DANIDA were also present and spoke.
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