The government is implementing 10 projects while has taken initiatives to implement six others to promote self-employment and entrepreneurship among unemployed youths across the country, said State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque on Tuesday in Parliament.

“Under the Department of Youth Development, 10 projects are currently being implemented across the country with the objective of creating self-employment and employment and developing entrepreneurship among unemployed youths,” he said.

The state minister said this replying to a scripted question from ruling party lawmaker Mostafizur Rahman Babul (Jamalpur-3).

The parliamentary session resumed around 11am on Tuesday with Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal in the chair.

Aminul informed the House that the ongoing ten projects include the Technology Empowerment Centre on Wheels for the Underprivileged Rural People of Bangladesh (2nd Phase); Integrated Resource Management through Extensive Technology for Poverty Alleviation (3rd Phase), 1st revised; Life Skills Education at Youth Training Center and Strengthening the National Youth Platform (LYTC & SNYP Life Skills Project); and Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (EARN). 

Other projects are Leaving No One Behind: Improving Skills and Economic Opportunities for Women and Youth in Cox’s Bazar (ISEC); Feasibility Study for New Projects of DYD; Expansion and Modernisation of the Central Human Resource Development Centre; Capacity Enhancement of the Department of Youth Development for Providing ICT Training in 64 Districts (2nd Phase); Freelancing Training for Educated Job-Seeking Youths in All 64 Districts; and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based Skills Development for ICT-Skilled Youths.

The state minister also said the Department of Youth Development has also taken initiatives to implement six priority projects that can be executed quickly and create visible impacts on self-employment and employment by transforming unemployed youths into skilled human resources.

The six projects include: Strengthening Upazila-level Training Activities for Employment and Self-employment (2nd Phase); Vehicle Driving Training Project (2nd Phase); Caregiver Development Project for Providing Services to Physically and Mentally Disabled Citizens; Freelancing Training for Unemployed Youths in All Metropolitan Cities; and Mobile Servicing and Language Training for Unemployed Youths in Metropolitan Cities to Facilitate Employment at Home and Abroad.