Bangladesh has taken a major step toward expanding employment opportunities for young people by signing contracts with four leading development organizations to implement the Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (EARN) Project, a nationwide initiative that will provide market-oriented skills training to 900,000 young people through 5,000 village-level training centres by 2028.
Implemented by the Department of Youth Development with credit support from the World Bank, the project aims to equip young people aged 15 to 35 with employable skills while increasing their participation in the country's economic growth. Of the total beneficiaries, 60 percent will be young women who are currently Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET).
Contracts were signed on Thursday with BRAC, Save the Children, CARE Bangladesh, and Dhaka Ahsania Mission, following a competitive procurement process conducted in accordance with World Bank guidelines. The organizations were selected from 401 applicants, including single entities and joint ventures, after a rigorous multi-stage evaluation.
The four organizations, together with their joint venture partners, will establish 5,000 training centres across 250 upazilas in all 64 districts, bringing skills development opportunities closer to rural and underserved communities. The centres will provide training in contemporary, demand-driven occupations to help young people secure employment, become self-employed, and contribute to Bangladesh's continued economic transformation and smooth graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category.
The project will also strengthen Bangladesh's creative and sports industries, creating new pathways for youth employment and entrepreneurship beyond traditional sectors.
Addressing the contract signing ceremony, State Minister for Youth and Sports Md. Aminul Haque said the government is committed to transforming Bangladesh's demographic dividend into a skilled, productive and responsible workforce. He emphasized that technical skills should be complemented by ethics and values, calling for dedicated sessions on integrity, discipline, empathy and social responsibility within the project's training programmes.
The ceremony, held at the Ministry of Youth and Sports at the Bangladesh Secretariat, was chaired by Amena Begum, Secretary (Routine Duties) of the Ministry.
Under the implementation plan, BRAC will work in the Dhaka and Rangpur divisions; Save the Children will implement activities in Barishal Division and Chattogram and Cox's Bazar districts; CARE Bangladesh will cover the three Chattogram Hill Tracts districts together with the Khulna, Mymensingh and Rajshahi divisions; while Dhaka Ahsania Mission will operate in Cumilla, Brahmanbaria, Chandpur, Feni, Lakshmipur and Noakhali districts, along with Sylhet Division.
The event was attended by Director General of the Department of Youth Development Md. Motahar Hossain, Project Director Kazi Mokhlesur Rahman, World Bank Senior Economist and Task Team Leader Syud Rashid Al-Zayed Josh, Additional Project Director (Joint Secretary) Dr. Marina Nazneen, senior government officials, project consultants, and representatives of the four implementing organizations.