Over 100,000 Apply for Government AI Training

DHAKA, September 26, 2026: More than 100,000 candidates took a written selection test on Saturday for a government initiative aimed at building artificial intelligence (AI) skills among young people across Bangladesh.

The examination was held simultaneously at designated centres in all 64 districts under the project titled ‘Skill Development of IT-Knowledgeable Youth through Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology’, implemented by the Department of Youth Development under the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

According to project officials, a total of 103,996 applications were submitted for the nationwide AI training programme. Following preliminary verification, 102,928 applications were accepted as valid. Candidates are now being shortlisted through the written examination.

1,600 Seats, Intense Competition

In the second phase of the project, 1,600 trainees are scheduled to be selected, with 25 trainees from each of the country's 64 districts.

Based on the number of valid applications, more than 64 candidates are competing for each seat on average.

Competition is highest in Dhaka. A total of 17,552 applicants applied for only 25 seats in the district, translating into nearly 702 candidates per seat.

During the examination, Youth and Sports Ministry Secretary Md Mahbub-ul-Alam, Department of Youth Development Director General Md Motahar Hossain, Project Director Md Atikur Rahman and Dhaka District Deputy Director AKM Shahriar visited an examination centre in Kallyanpur.

They inspected the examination environment, seating arrangements and question-paper management.

Final Results on September 30

Ministry Secretary Md Mahbub-ul-Alam said candidates who qualify in the written examination will take practical and viva voce tests on September 27.

The final results are scheduled to be published on September 30, followed by nationwide training for the selected 1,600 candidates from October 1.

11,200 Youth to Receive AI Training

Department of Youth Development Director General Md Motahar Hossain said the two-year project aims to train a total of 11,200 young people in AI technology.

Of them, 9,600 will receive basic-level training, while 1,600 will undergo advanced-level training.

Training will be delivered through 448 batches, with 25 participants in each batch. Each course will run for two months, comprising 50 classes and a total of 300 instructional hours.

Participants are expected to receive hands-on training in modern AI tools and platforms, including ChatGPT, Copilot, DeepSeek, Gemini, Midjourney, Runway, Synthesia, Tableau, ClickUp and Adobe Sensei.

//DBTech/MSP/CPM/BTOPI//