USAID launches $35m project to prepare youth for job market 

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched a $35 million project in Bangladesh called "Bijoyee" to equip youths with market-oriented job skills.  

"By equipping youth with more marketable job skills, we are steering Bangladesh towards becoming the next 'Asian Tiger' and fulfilling the promise of offering more equitable prosperity opportunities to all its citizens," said Michael Schiffer, USAID assistant administrator for Asia. 

For this, the US aid agency has partnered with Shikho, a local educational technology firm, and several other private organisations at the project launching event at a city hotel yesterday

An MoU was signed between Michael Schiffer, Reed Aeschliman, USAID mission director, and Shahir Chowdhury, Shikho CEO.   

The five-year Bijoyee project is designed to foster Positive Youth Development (PYD) and support local-led development efforts in Bangladesh. 

The event also saw participation of more than 20 local youth-led organisations dedicated to tackling socio-economic challenges throughout the nation.

"We often face challenges in obtaining adequate guidance and funding. We're hopeful that the Bijoyee project will support our efforts to make a meaningful impact," Mohammad Akram, founding president of Youth Movements, told TBS. 

The organisation operates in 33 districts, primarily engaging university students as volunteers to help street children. 

Almeer Ahsan Asif, deputy chief of party for the USAID Bijoyee activity, explained, "The project focuses on bringing young women and socially marginalised youth to the forefront as main participants and leaders." 

"We're aiming to reach a spectrum of 2,50,000 young people, spreading across both urban and semi-urban areas of Bangladesh," he added. 

The inaugural ceremony styled: "Youth-private sector marketplace" also brings together corporations like Visa and youth entities such as Jaago and the Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC).

USAID has so far provided over $8 billion financial assistance to Bangladesh in over more than 50 years of partnership in the areas of health, education, agriculture, food security, natural disasters, climate change and humanitarian aid.