"GP Explorers" Batch 2 recently graduated from Grameenphone's in-house skill academy at a virtual graduation event. With more than 40 per cent females with a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) background in the cohort, the pool was upskilled to become future-ready professionals. Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar graced the event as the chief guest. Subrata Roy Maitra, the vice-chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), Yasir Azman, CEO of Grameenphone, and Hossain Sadat, acting chief corporate affairs officer, were present as special guests.  Also read: GP Accelerator Program 3.0: Paving the Way for Successful Startups GP Explorers is an industry-led digital skills academy to digitally upskill and empower university students with soft and digital skills to bridge the gap between their future careers and required competencies. The platform consists of a 20 week-long upskilling programme focusing on communication proficiency, entrepreneurship mindset and digital skills that complement the knowledge students receive from academia. It is a crowdsourced learning model with custom content, assignments and expert sessions from industry professionals.  Mustafa Jabbar said: "The goal of any business entity is to do business or to make a profit. Apart from this, they have some responsibility towards society, the state, and the people. Grameenphone is fulfilling this promise through GP Explorers by upskilling the youth through future-fit skills." Also read: US-Bangla, GP sign agreement "I think the knowledge gained from GP Explorers will serve as a great foundation for their lives. These valuable lessons must be made available for all, especially for the marginalised community to benefit from digitisation." Subrata Roy said: "There is a difference between education and training. You can do well academically, but you need to develop yourself and acquire skills simultaneously to be future-ready." "Grameenphone, with its GP Explorers 2.0, has been able to develop the participants in the right way, and the programme has been able to keep pace with the international arena." Yasir Azman said: "We are glad to complete the latest GP Explorers programme despite the Covid-19 barrier." "This was possible mainly because of the resilience and indomitable spirit that our participants have shown since day one. I am sure that they will stand out as professionals in the industry very soon, bringing excellence to their organisations as well as their portfolio." 

Grameenphone has recently launched Grameenphone Explorers 2.0, the second batch of its youth-development initiative, to ensure the growth of skills and expertise among future leaders. The 12-week-long programme officially began with the orientation session on April 1. At the programme, ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak said, "Initiatives like Grameenphone Explorer 2.0 are key enablers that help devise how the youth of this country can prepare themselves to contribute to the growth of our great nation and unlock new opportunities for our future generations." Also read: Grameenphone announces 15,500 4G towers in country GP Explorers is an innovative upskilling initiative from Grameenphone – targeted to unleash the youths' potential and transform their mindset towards skills of the future. This year, GP Explorers 2.0 is set to feature a wide range of virtual and real-time engagements between the participants and mentors, focusing on building their communication proficiency, entrepreneurship skills, and digital skills. The programme also targets grooming their personalities to face the immensely competitive local and global job markets. Also read: Grameenphone provides Tk 30 crore to workers welfare fund Also,70% of the learning is designed to take place online with interactive digital tools, and 30% of live classes involve collaborative activities. GP Explorers 2.0 will also hold regular counselling and experience sharing sessions for the aspiring youths' deep cognitive support. Grameenphone CEO Yasir Azman said, "The first season of GP Explorers has seen significant impact from the three-month programme; the-then trainees are now confidently getting into corporate ecosystems. We are optimistic about finding more of such future leaders, this time with GP Explorers 2.0." Also read: Grameenphone introduces portable pocket router Over 1,400 students from 67 renowned educational institutions had applied to be a part of GP Explorers, from where only 357 were chosen to be eligible for the campaign, read a press release.