ICT programme makes jobless youth an entrepreneur

Mohammad Alamin, 31, a poverty–stricken unemployed young man, has come out of impoverishment cycle and became successful entrepreneur with the help of union digital centre and different information and communication technology (ICT) based training programmes of the government.

The young man has been established as a successful entrepreneur and digital service provider at Narandia union digital center under Purbadhala upazila of the district.

He is now a figure of inspiring to many poor unemployed youths in the society for his ICT based innovative works and services.

Alamin, hailing from Hironpur village, started making his untiring efforts to get a job since passing of HSC examination in 2007 as he could not get access to higher education because of his poor family could not bear his educational expenses.

“During the year of 2010, I came to know that a three month long computer training programme will be started in the meeting room of Netrakona youth development department. Then I went to the office and participated in the training programme with the help of an officer of the department”, Alamin said.

I successfully completed the training programme and acquired ICT based knowledge including computer compose, email, access to information through internet browsing and filing of online applications for jobs in home and abroad, he added.

In the same year, he got another chance to participate a weeklong training programme on ICT network held at Netrakona DC office under the auspices of district administration and ICT division, where prominent ICT experts of the country imparted training.

After obtaining the training programmes, I worked at a private computer training center at the Hironpur Bazar under the Purbadhala upazila for one year, he said.

In 2011, Alamin met the then chairman of Narandia union parishad and expressed his desire to work in the union digital center as an entrepreneur.

After few days, the UP chairman accompanied by him went to the office of Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of the Purbadhala upazila and introduced him with the UNO. The UP chairman also requested the UNO to give him permission to work in the Narandia union digital center as entrepreneur.

“Then, the UNO asked me to submit an application before him, and I submitted an application there”, he said adding that within a month he got permission from the UNO office to work in the union digital center as entrepreneur, he said.

“The transformation of my life began when I started working in the union digital center. Because, as an entrepreneur, I got opportunities to obtain vast knowledge on ‘ICT and computer operating’ after participating many training programmes held on the year from 2012 till now under the auspices of access to information (A2i) , ICT division, ICT ministry, local government department and district and upazila administrations”, he informed.

“I acquired vast knowledge about computer and ICT networks including E- commerce, digital marketing, hardware , software and outsourcing in those training programmes, my skills were strengthened more” he said.