A massive blueprint to transform Bangladesh’s youth landscape is hanging in the balance. The Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (EARN) Project"a Tk3,348 crore mega-initiative aimed at bringing 900,000 out-of-school and unemployed youth into the mainstream economy"is currently awaiting final clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP).
Financed by the World Bank and implemented by the Department of Youth Development (DYD) under the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the EARN project represents one of the most ambitious social-inclusion and employment drives in the nation's history. However, despite its transformative potential, administrative bottlenecks and procurement disputes have slowed its rollout.
The EARN project specifically targets youth classified as NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training), a demographic that expanded sharply following the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Targeting youths aged 15 to 35, the project focuses heavily on rural and marginalized populations.
The key targets and demographics are training 900,000 young people by 2028 as beneficiary. At least 60% of the beneficiaries (500,000) will be women, supported by safe training spaces, childcare facilities, and gender-sensitive mentorship. Priority routing of the project is inclusion of ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, and youths living in hard-to-reach areas like chars, haors, hill tracts, and coastal belts.
While talking to this correspondent, Project Director Kazi Mokhlesur Rahman, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, said, "The EARN Project aims to make a transformative contribution to Bangladesh's economic growth. Empowering youth, particularly rural women, is essential for increasing productivity and strengthening long-term economic resilience."
To bridge the urban-rural divide, the project plans to establish 5,000 Village Level Training Centres (VLTCs) across 250 upazilas. These centers will offer market-driven training in green occupations, technical skills, entrepreneurship, and digital literacy.
Following a rigorous evaluation, the World Bank and project authorities selected four major NGO joint ventures to lead the training of 750,000 youths across 4,800 temporary centers:
The selected joint ventures are: CARE Bangladesh JV, selected for four packages, will train 262,500 youths through 1,750 training centres at a cost of Tk 363.81 crore. BRAC JV, selected for two packages, will train 210,000 youths through 1,250 training centres at a cost of Tk 340.12 crore.
Dhaka Ahsania Mission JV, selected for two packages, will train 187,500 youths through 1,200 training centres at a cost of Tk 260.08 crore. Save the Children JV, selected for two packages, will train 90,000 youths through 600 training centres at a cost of Tk 140.47 crore.
CARE Bangladesh holds the largest share of the initiative, handling four packages and managing over a third of both the total youth training target (35%) and the total allocated centers. On average, each training center across these joint ventures is set to accommodate roughly 150 to 168 youths over the course of the project.
While CARE Bangladesh and Dhaka Ahsania Mission operate at a highly optimized cost-efficiency rate of roughly Tk 13,860 per trainee, BRAC and Save the Children JVs feature slightly higher per-capita allocations, likely reflecting differences in specialized curricula, geographic accessibility, or target demographics. The remaining beneficiaries will be trained directly by the DYD, with official certifications provided by the National Skills Development Authority (NSDA).
EARN is designed as an end-to-end ecosystem rather than a standard training program tailored for 100,000 teenagers (ages 15-19), who dropped out of secondary school post-2019, as second-chance education. At least 30% of graduates will receive business planning support, with 15,000 receiving direct seed financing to launch their own enterprises.
A total of 25,000 youth will access advanced online learning. A centralized Youth Employment Portal will directly connect graduates with recruiters, freelancing platforms and career counseling.
Despite receiving its initial clearance from the ECNEC and the World Bank in June 2023 during Awami League government, the project has faced severe timeline setbacks, particularly during interim government under Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yunus.
Project officials reveal that progress stalled significantly during the interim government era due to complications in selecting service providers. Allegations surfaced involving the then-Adviser, Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan, regarding attempts to influence the procurement process and include unqualified NGOs-an intervention reportedly linked to disputes over transactions exceeding Tk 100 crore.
Because of these irregularities, the World Bank returned the procurement files four separate times for compliance reviews. After exhaustive verification, the World Bank ultimately cleared the proposals in March this year under BNP government.
The vetted proposals were forwarded to the CCGP in April. However, the file remains pending as the committee reviews whether the project requires further necessity reassessments. Roughly 8% of the project's total budget has already been spent despite actual implementation remaining largely frozen.
Insiders note that once the CCGP grants final approval, the core training activities can be completed within a swift 30-month window.
As Bangladesh navigates its transition into a knowledge-based economy, the stakes could not be higher. Economists agree that unlocking the EARN project is vital to converting the country's massive demographic dividend into tangible, sustainable GDP growth.
While talking to this correspondent, Project Director Kazi Mokhlesur Rahman, also an additional secretary to the Youth and Sports Ministry, said that the project will provide online training opportunities to approximately 25,000 participants through dedicated digital platforms. He emphasized that a youth employment portal will actively connect beneficiaries with employers, recruiters, business networks, freelancing platforms, and career guidance services.
To strengthen labor market integration, Kazi Mokhlesur Rahman stated that the project will organize job fairs, employer conferences, career counseling sessions, internship opportunities, and placement support program.
Beyond direct youth support, the Project Director explained that the EARN project will strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Department of Youth Development, district youth training centers, youth clubs, and affiliated institutions through infrastructure improvements, digital systems, monitoring mechanisms and human resource development.
Additionally, Kazi Mokhlesur Rahman noted that a centralized Management Information System (MIS) will track beneficiary participation, training outcomes, and employment progress throughout the project lifecycle.
He said, "The Project aims to engage 900,000 young people, including 500,000 women, in economic and social activities by 2028. Through skills development, employment generation, and entrepreneurship support, the project will make a transformative contribution to Bangladesh's economic growth."
