বাংলা
যুব ও ক্রীড়া মন্ত্রণালয়Breaking Free from Unemployment: A Landmark Employment Project Coming for 12.6 Million NEET Youth
Breaking Free from Unemployment: A Landmark Employment Project Coming for 12.6 Million NEET Youth
Approximately 27 percent — or more than 12.6 million — of the country's youth aged 15 to 35 are currently not engaged in any form of education, employment, or training. In the language of economics and social science, this population is referred to as NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). Nearly 90 percent of this vast population are women. To transform this large segment of youth into skilled human resources, the Department of Youth Development (DYD) under the Ministry of Youth and Sports has commenced implementation of the 'Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (EARN)' project.
Financed and supported by the World Bank, the core objective of this project is to create opportunities for alternative education and modern vocational training for disadvantaged youth — particularly young women — in rural areas. According to DYD officials, while the overall unemployment rate in Bangladesh stands at just 3.1 percent, the youth unemployment rate is 8.9 percent — a figure of serious concern. Through this landmark initiative, approximately 900,000 skilled workers will be developed for the country's key economic sectors by 2028. This will enable Bangladesh to successfully graduate from Least Developed Country (LDC) status and accelerate overall GDP growth.
The program is being implemented across 250 selected upazilas nationwide, with priority given to poverty-stricken, geographically remote, and climate-vulnerable areas such as riverine char areas, hill tracts, and tea garden regions. Through this massive undertaking, youth will not only receive technical and vocational training but will also be supported with internships, mentorship, and seed funding — initial capital assistance to start businesses — following the completion of their training. Those associated with the project expect this to bring unprecedented transformation to the rural economy.
EARN Desk
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Review Meeting Held on EARN Project Inception Reports
A review meeting on the inception reports prepared by the Service Providers (SPs) engaged under the Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NIT (EARN) Project, implemented by the Department of Youth Development (DYD), was held on Saturday, 5 September.
8 September, 2026
Launch of the EARN Project Portal
The Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Md. Mahbub-ul-Alam, formally inaugurated the online portal of the EARN Project, being implemented by the Department of Youth Development. The inauguration was declared on Tuesday, 28 July, at 11:30 AM in the Ministry's conference room, where the Secretary officially launched the portal by pressing the designated button.
28 July, 2026
Workshop on Priority Skills Identification & Online Training Content Development
A workshop titled 'Identifying Priority Skills and Online Training Content Development (OTSP)' was held on 15 July 2026 at the project office under the Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (EARN) project. The primary objective of the workshop was to identify and validate the priority skills — including technical skills, digital literacy, soft skills, and entrepreneurship development — and content categories required for the online training of 25,000 NEET youth out of the project's total 900,000 beneficiaries.
16 July, 2026
A New Era of Youth Administration Through Information Technology & Real-Time Monitoring
Youth administration is being comprehensively restructured through the integration of fully digital and modern technologies, with the aim of ensuring transparency and accountability in government project implementation and delivering services more efficiently.
6 July, 2026
Department of Youth Development's 'Seed Fund' to Create 15,000 New Entrepreneurs for Youth
Even after receiving technical training, many rural youth are unable to start businesses due to a lack of capital and proper guidance. To address this financial and strategic challenge faced by rural youth, the Department of Youth Development (DYD) has undertaken a major initiative to modernize and expand its existing Seed Fund. Through the EARN Project, this fund is being made fully digital and adapted to meet the demands of the modern era.
6 July, 2026
Training of Trainers (ToT) held for EARN Project
A day-long Training of Trainers (ToT) on ‘Beneficiary Identification and Selection’ was held on August 27, 2026 in the seminar room of Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (EARN) project office, implemented by the Department of Youth Development.
30 August, 2026
Women Prioritized in the EARN Project — Rural Social Barriers to Be Addressed
The NEET youth challenge in Bangladesh is fundamentally a gender issue. Of the 12.6 million NEET youth, approximately 90 percent are women. A World Bank study found that rigid social norms, lack of safe transportation, and the disproportionate burden of domestic responsibilities are the primary barriers preventing women in rural areas from becoming economically self-reliant.
6 July, 2026
Workshop on the Development of the Communication Strategy Paper
A workshop titled 'Stakeholder Consultation Workshop' has been held under the 'Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (EARN)' project of the Department of Youth Development.
1 July, 2026