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The Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS) has submitted the DPP of the Vehicle Driving Training Project (Phase II), taken at an estimated cost of Tk 2.01 billion, to the Planning Commission (PC), aiming to expand the Department of Youth Development's (DYD) driving training programme for unemployed youth to all the districts.
"By providing training to 27,360 individuals and enabling them to obtain driving licenses, the project is expected to meet at least 5.0 per cent of the country's demand for skilled drivers, while contributing to road safety by reducing accidents," a senior official of the Ministry of Youth said.
An official at the PC said the DYD implemented the first phase of the project in 2024 in 40 districts across the country.
The second phase of the project is scheduled to run from January 2026 to December 2028, covering all 64 districts.
Each training session will last two months, comprising 360 hours of theoretical and practical instruction, with 30 participants per batch. Trainees are required to have a minimum educational qualification of passing the eighth grade or equivalent.
Tk 769.64 million, 38.24 per cent of the total, has been sought for training costs. Each trainee would require Tk 28,130 on an average for training purpose only, as per the DPP.
Another Tk 298.49 million has been proposed for outsourcing personnel, Tk 171.4 million for learners' license and fitness fees, Tk 160.9 million for constructing non-residential training facilities, and Tk 140.8 million for acquiring training vehicles.
The project aims to produce a pool of skilled drivers to meet the growing demand in Bangladesh's transport sector. By providing professional driving training, it seeks to ensure that the workforce is competent, safe, and capable of supporting the country's transport infrastructure.
In addition, the project focuses on creating employment and self-employment opportunities for unemployed youth, contributing to poverty reduction and improving their overall quality of life. A key goal is also to reduce road accidents, thereby strengthening road safety across the country, reveals the proposal.
A senior official at the PC's Socio-Economic Infrastructure Division confirmed submission of the project, and said a meeting would be held soon to evaluate the proposal. The PC had earlier conducted a review meeting on the preliminary proposal, and returned it with recommendations for compliance.
As per the project document, about 79 per cent of the registered vehicles in the country were added after 2000, and those are primarily motorcycles and personal cars.
Insufficient technical skills and poor knowledge of traffic laws remain as the major causes of accidents, often resulting in fatalities or injuries that affect the country's workforce and economy, it added.
By creating skilled drivers through structured government training, the project aims to address both employment and road safety challenges simultaneously.
In addition, it aligns with Bangladesh's commitment to the United Nations' Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 target to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by half.
The project will also make effective use of the first phase infrastructure, including training vehicles, simulators, and other equipment, which will be transferred to the proposed second phase.
After the initial three-year implementation, the government plans to integrate the training programme into the annual revenue budget, ensuring continuous availability of skilled drivers.
An estimated Tk 475.1 million per year will be required to maintain the programme, ensuring its long-term contribution to employment generation and road safety improvement.
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