Government has approved a Tk 956.75 crore proposal to provide skills and entrepreneurship training to 850,500 young people under the “Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET” project, aimed at improving employment opportunities and building a skilled workforce.

The approval was granted by the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase at a meeting held at the Secretariat on Wednesday, chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury.

Implemented by the Department of Youth Development under the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the project will run from July 1, 2023, to December 31, 2028.

The initiative targets young people classified as NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training). It seeks to equip them with technical, entrepreneurial, social and behavioural skills through a nationwide training programme. Village-level training centres will also be established and managed to support the activities.

Under 10 approved service packages, training programmes will be conducted in Dhaka, Barishal, Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Khulna, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Sylhet and Chattogram Hill Tracts.

Officials said the project is expected to strengthen workforce readiness, encourage entrepreneurship and improve employment prospects for thousands of young people across the country.