ADB provides $1.34 million to avoid skills trainees’ drop out

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided $1.3 million financial assistance to avoid trainees from dropping out under the Skills for Employment Investment Program (SEIP).

ADB handed over the financial assistance to the authorities concerned yesterday, it said in a press release.

The SEIP is providing sector-focused and job-ready skills training through partnerships with public institutes, industry associations and other organisations -- covering skills requirements in 10 industry sectors.

"Each of the 22,619 current trainees will get BDT 5,000 as one-time assistance," said ADB Country Director for Bangladesh Manmohan Parkash.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has caused adverse impacts on the trainees' livelihood and this assistance will help the trainees to continue their training as they are from poor households and chances of their dropping out are high due to the prolonged Covid-19 lockdown," he said.

He also said that they have requested the government to transfer the money timely to the trainees through their bank accounts.

The assistance is additional to the $350,000 emergency grant approved on March 27, and other ADB support package being put together in the health and financial sectors for tackling Covid-19 challenges in Bangladesh, the press release read.