By Syed Altefat Hossain

  RAJSHAHI, Dec 14, 2021 (BSS) - Learning and Earning Development Project
(LEDP) under the auspices of the Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) Division contributes to declining unemployment making youths self-
employed through freelancing envisioned by Prime Minister's ICT Affairs
Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy.

  According to the LEDP documents, so far 77,000 youths, including people
with disabilities, have completed the 'Professional Outsourcing Training' on
three courses - graphic design, digital marketing and web design and
development - across the country in the first and second phases of the
project since 2016.

  Of them, 32,234 youths are earning money through freelancing and their
total income stood at around US$ 5 billion.

  As female account for half of the country's total population, the LEDP has
provided a two-day fundamental training on the ICT to 240,000 young women in
the country.

  Officials familiar with the project said the LEDP was launched under the ICT Division in line with the
direction of Prime Minister's ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy to make
the youths self employed through freelancing and develop them as
entrepreneurs instead of relinquishing their chase after jobs.

  To achieve the target, the government distributed 13,000 laptops in the
first phase and 4,000 laptops in second phase among the meritorious youths,
including the differently abled persons.

  Under the second phase, 3,000 youths have been given Fulbright Scholarships
on 'Digital Skills' and 'Entrepreneur' through COL-Coursera Workforce
Recovery Program under the initiative of the Commonwealth of Learning, Canada
and the Coursera.

  The project has, however, set a target of growing up 100,000 freelancers
from the total 600,000 as entrepreneurs through the 'Freelancer to
Entrepreneur' programme, creating 100,000 more freelancers and earning US$ 1
billion remittance from the online marketplace.

  One Rubel Ali is among the efficient freelancers, who are contributing to
local economy by making money thanks to the Learning and Earning Development
Project.

   Rubel Ali is no more a poor now, rather he has now emerged as a role model
to freelancers as he is earning around Taka 3 lakh per month through
freelancing.

  "It was very hard to continue my study since my poor father was unable to
manage even daily food for us. My siblings - one brother and two sisters -
had to stop their studies at primary level," said Rubel, a youth of the
country's northwestern city.

  He added: "Sometimes we had to quench hunger by chewing sugarcane. I had to
work on others' farms before and after school".

  Though Rubel could not attend the classes regularly, his indomitable
willingness helped him march forward overcoming the financial hurdles.

  He, however, discovered an "unbelievable" thing of earning money like
boosting facebook page or youtube channels in 2012 when he was an eighth
grader.

  "I started booting facebook pages and youtube channels with a mobile phone.
Though income from the work was very low in the beginning, I didn't give up
my hope," said Rubel.

  Later, he bought a computer borrowing money and started earning about Taka
20,000 to 30,000 per month along with continuing his study and passed SSC in
2015 and HSC in 2017.

  Now a third year student of History Department of Rajshahi New Government
Degree College, Rubel said, "I learned about the LEDP through facebook in
2020. Subsequently I completed three courses- graphic design, digital
marketing and web design and development- under the project".

  After completing the course, he got an extensive way of earning remittance
through freelancing and launched the website 'SMMGYUZ.COM' and he is now
making over Taka 300,000 per month.

  Mosammat Alza, a master's student, also completed a course on web designing
and now her earning is about Taka 10,000 per month.

  Terming herself as a self-reliant woman, Alza said she is carrying out all
her expenses by the money she earns from freelancing.

  State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak said around 6.5 lakh IT
freelancers across the country are now earning money after taking training
from the LEDP.

  Initially, 30 percent of seats were reserved for women in the project, he
said, adding, "But the willingness of the women and their success stories
encouraged us to take up a dedicated project titled "Women ICT Frontier
Initiative" to create 50,000 women entrepreneurs. The project will be sent to
the Planning Commission soon."

  Palak said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave the digital remittance
fighters a self identity by introducing freelancer ID cards.