Uttoron, a Chevron Bangladesh-funded project on skill development for a better life, has concluded its six-year journey.

The project was implemented by Swisscontact, a Swiss non-profit organisation.

On the occasion of the completion of the project, a closing ceremony was held in Dhaka Wednesday.

Mahbub Hossain, senior secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, Nasreen Afroz, executive chairman of the National Skills Development Authority, and Eric M Walker, president and managing director of Chevron Bangladesh, spoke at the event.

The project worked to capacitate promising youths, create access to training for youth and capacitate the government.

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In the first phase (2016-2019) the project worked in Habiganj, Moulvibazar and Sylhet and the second phase (2019-2022) in Dhaka, Habiganj, Khulna, Moulvibazar and Sylhet.

The project established a sustainable permanent training facility at the heart of Sylhet, in partnership with Sylhet City Corporation, which will run beyond the project period. This facility has 9,000 square feet of dedicated space. In five trades annually 800 trainees can be trained from this facility.

The project in partnership with the country's prime welding body Khulna Shipyard established 4,000 square feet of sophisticated advanced welding, where 3G to 6G international-level welding training will be provided, trainees will be assessed on international standards and will be certified by globally well-recognised certification institute Bureau Veritas (BV).

Eric said Chevron believes that the community and the work in economic development, education and health is a testament to that core value that they live by.

In Bangladesh, Chevron operates three gas fields in the northeast of the country. Chevron Bangladesh is the largest producer of natural gas in Bangladesh, accounting for over 60 percent of total domestic natural gas production and over 80 percent of the domestic condensate production.

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Chevron has been managing social investment programmes since 2006. It invests in activities and programmes that focus primarily on livelihood support, access to education, primary healthcare facilities, skill development and entrepreneurship support.