The occasion marked both the 2016 graduation and inauguration ceremony. A.B.M. Khorshed Alam, chief executive officer, National Skills Development Council, was present as chief guest and Rashed Maqsood, Citi country officer; Zaki Hasan, CEO UCEP; Prof M Hafizul Islam, member, UCEP Association and officials from both organisations were present at the event.
Citi Foundation (the philanthropic arm of Citigroup Inc) started implementing the Citi UCEP Technical Education project in 2013, in partnership with UCEP. With the Foundation’s funding of USD 55,000, UCEP provided technical education to 60 (in 2014) and 120 (in 2015) underprivileged youth in the age group of 17 to 25 years. In the 2015 program, the 120 trainees were trained mainly in industrial sewing operations, an industry where there is a high demand for skilled workers. The duration of the course was six months and the program was implemented at UCEP Gazipur Technical School. The technical education project takes a holistic approach to developing youth workforces by imparting essential skills for employability, such as financial literacy and entrepreneurial management.
Among the 130 enrolled students, a total of 120 girls have completed the Technical Education 2015 course – with 73 graduates having already found employment - and 12 joining higher education programs. In 2016, Citi foundation funded another program with USD 80,000. Under this program, 300 underprivileged girls will be given technical education from UCEP’s Dhaka, Gazipur, Jatrabari and Chittagong technical schools.
Besides speeches and distributing certificates, the program saw a colorful cultural presentation by the Citi UCEP Technical Education Program students.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
