Abdur Razzak owns a small electrical shop on Paharapur Road in Dinajpur Sadar upazila. When we visited the shop at noon on July 30, he was repairing a refrigerator, working on its rear section while an assistant helped him.
Several old refrigerators stood inside the shop, along with three air conditioners, several fans and a washing machine. Razzak, an electrician by profession, mainly repairs appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators. Six workers are now regularly employed at his shop—a remarkable change from three years ago, when he worked as a day labourer, earning Tk 300–400 a day without any guarantee of work every day.
Abdur Razzak is an electrician who mainly repairs appliances such as ACs and refrigerators. In the course of our conversation, I learned that three years ago, his daily income was Tk 300–400. He earned this money as a day labourer. Even then, he could not find work every day. The 27-year-old now earns nearly Tk 100,000 a month. Abdur Razzak used to go from person to person looking for work; now, six workers are regularly employed at his shop.
Three aspects of the project
Officials of PKSF said three main activities are being implemented through the RAISE project. One of them is an apprenticeship programme based on the ostad-shagred (master-apprentice) model. Around 2.2 million young people enter the labour market in Bangladesh every year. A large number of them remain unemployed for long periods. Many others, due to a lack of appropriate skills, become engaged in various low-paid and risky informal jobs.
Through the RAISE project, 103,000 such unemployed and unskilled young people are being trained and equipped with skills. So far, around 67,000 young apprentices across the country have received such training.
The second aspect of the project is entrepreneurship development. Under this initiative, around 225,000 young entrepreneurs across the country are being provided with training in business management. They are also being provided with loans to expand their businesses. This is increasing the scale of their businesses while simultaneously creating new employment opportunities.
One such entrepreneur is Suman Majumdar of Jashore. He worked for a long time at other people’s factories making cricket bats. He set up his own factory eight to nine years ago. However, his business was not doing well due to a lack of advanced machinery and raw materials. Later, after receiving training and financial assistance from the RAISE project, he expanded his business. He now sells products worth Tk 250,000 to Tk 300,000 a month, compared with Tk 100,000 previously.
Besides, many small businesses in Bangladesh suffered a major setback during the Covid-19 pandemic. Through the RAISE project, around 150,000 affected small entrepreneurs are being provided with training and financial assistance to enhance their capacity.
PKSF and the World Bank are jointly providing US$532.4 million in financing for implementation of the project. The project is being implemented through 89 partner organisations in more than 380 upazilas across all 64 districts of the country. Through the project, the aim is to enhance the capacity and create employment opportunities for a total of around 425,000 young people and small entrepreneurs across the country.
Sustainable employment opportunities
It was learnt during a field visit that under the RAISE project’s apprenticeship programme based on the ustad-shagred model, young people are provided with six months of training in a total of 26 trades. These include computer and mobile phone servicing, electrical work, light engineering, welding, auto mechanics, garment making and tailoring, food preparation, graphic design and multimedia, digital marketing, among others. As they receive hands-on training at business establishments, these young people get sustainable employment opportunities after completing their training.
Francis Kisku, a young man from the Santal community in Bhatpara village of Dinajpur Sadar, also had to discontinue his education due to financial hardship. At one point, he started working as a mason’s assistant to support his family. But the income was very low. Later, he received training in electrical installation and maintenance at a local workshop through PKSF. Francis now works at the same establishment with a monthly salary of Tk 14,000.
Robi Gomes, owner of the workshop and an trainer under PKSF, told Prothom Alo, “We are instructed to teach a trainee the basics within six months. As a result, they can acquire skills in the shortest possible time and start earning a good income.”
Women, people with disabilities and disadvantaged groups prioritised
Women, people with physical disabilities and disadvantaged members of society are given priority in the project. One example is Boyeta Khatun from the remote Mardubi Dash Mile village in Dinajpur. The woman got married in 2006. Her husband is a schoolteacher. Boyeta Khatun passed her HSC in 2012. At one point, they moved to Dinajpur city with their family to facilitate their child’s education. But it was becoming difficult to manage the family on her husband’s sole income. In 2025, Boyeta Khatun received training in digital marketing from a local institution under the RAISE project. She now works at the same institution with a monthly salary of Tk 12,000.
Boyeta Khatun said, “As I am earning, the financial pressure on our family has eased somewhat. I can buy my child things they like and meet my own needs.”
The project was launched in 2022 with a fund of US$250 million. Its tenure was scheduled to end in June this year. Before that, the World Bank provided new financing for the project, while its tenure was also extended until December 2030.
PKSF Managing Director Md Fazlul Quader told Prothom Alo, “The RAISE project is essentially an initiative that is aligned with our local culture. Here, the traditional ‘ustad-shagred’ model has been made more modern and organised. Apprentices are being trained according to the needs of the informal sector through successful entrepreneurs and ustads.”
Md Fazlul Quader further said that around 88 per cent of young men and women are getting immediate employment opportunities after completing training under the project.
“These young people, who dropped out of formal education, are initially earning between Tk 9,000 and Tk 23,000 a month, which is not seen even among many people with traditional technical or vocational education. Overall, it is considered a highly cost-effective and sustainable employment-support initiative,” he said.