A South Asia regional grant competition called “Youth Solutions! Technology for Skills and Employment” will grant four young individuals the chance to carry out an innovative project. Organized by the World Bank and Microsoft, Youth Solutions is looking for ideas on how to effectively and imaginatively utilize the information and communications technology abilities of youth living in the South Asian region and provide them with employment opportunities.

In South Asia, around twenty percent of the population is between the ages of 15 and 24. The region suffers from a lack of employment opportunities and with a projection of more than a million youth entering the labor force every month over the next twenty years, this is a problem that will only intensify. The idea behind this project is that the solution to massive unemployment should come from the youth themselves.

The World Bank and Microsoft are launching the project in Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka calling for proposals on how to use the information and communications technology to address the problems of lack of skills development and unemployment. One grant of US$10,000 to $20,000 will be given to each of these countries to the winners for use in carrying out their projects.

– Rafael Panlilio

Source: World Bank