[Dhaka, May 18, 2022] Committed to building a future-ready Bangladesh through empowering the youth, Grameenphone has launched "GP Academy," a future skills academy to prepare the young minds for the digital future through an exciting journey of transformative upskilling.

The newfound GP Academy aims to train Bangladesh's vast and promising young population to help them prepare for the future industry. GP Academy programs and courses are designed to strengthen their career readiness, accelerate entrepreneurship and offer multiple core skills required for the fourth industrial revolution. Grameenphone has been upskilling university students over the last two years through the "GP Explorers" program, successfully preparing students for the workplace. And now, with GP Academy to the aim is to spread this impact nationwide. The Career Launchpad program within GP Academy is specially designed to bridge the gaps between academic knowledge and the professional world, guiding students through practical, industry-oriented skills. GP Academy courses offer augmented academic knowledge from the classrooms to prepare young minds for the next stages of their career.

Chief Guest, Dulal Krishna Saha, Executive Chairman (Secretary), National Skills Development Authority, expressed his full support for this unique initiative from Grameenphone. He mentioned, "I am delighted to see the participation from Grameenphone to support the very critical area of building skills through their technology and innovation. Such an initiative from the private sector will be impactful to upskill the youth and prepare them for real work."

Cecilie Heuch, EVP and Chief People and Sustainability Officer, Telenor ASA, alstyle="margin-bottom:0px;padding-bottom:24px;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" mentioned the potential of such an academy. She said, "Building future skills is crucial for building a sustainable tomorrow. Today I am delighted to be a part of the launch of Grameenphone Academy in collaboration with Telenor and Cisco. I believe and hope our collective efforts with credible global partners will play a pivotal role in developing digital skills for the youth of Bangladesh, accelerating digitalization, and creating a competitive workforce globally." 

Yasir Azman, CEO Grameenphone, said, "At Grameenphone, we aspire to unleash the true potential of youth in Bangladesh,  through our tech, innovation and style="margin-bottom:0px;padding-bottom:24px;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"cial impact projects. We have been striving to enable youth with critical digital competencies through our different upskilling platforms. In continuation of our series of endeavors to empower youth with future-ready skills, I am hopeful GP Academy, in collaboration with Telenor & Cisco, will unleash possibilities of youth through transformative skills that will contribute to become Bangladesh a smart nation."

Fakhruddin Ahmed, Country General Manager, Cisco, Bangladesh, said, "We are excited about the partnership with Telenor and Grameenphone and the possibilities it beholds by leveraging Cisco's Networking Academy. It is a step towards realigning the existing talent with emerging technologies, making them more cyber smart, and ultimately enabling better job opportunities and futureproofing the youth of Bangladesh for the digital world."

A launch event was held on May 18, 2022, at the GP House, where Dulal Krishna Saha, Executive Chairman (Secretary), NSDA, attended as the Chief Guest. Cecilie Heuch, EVP and Chief People and Sustainability Officer, Telenor Group, graced the event as the Special Guest. A panel discussion was held with the participation of Syed Tanvir Husain, GP CHRO; Dr. Md. Ashraful Hoque, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, IUT; Fakhruddin Ahmed, Country GM (Bangladesh), Cisco Systems; Manisha Dogra, VP, Head of Sustainability Asia, Telenor Group; and Sadmeena Mahreen, GP Academy Alumni. Yasir Azman, CEO, Grameenphone, presented the Vote of Thanks at the event that was hosted by Khairul Basher, Head of GP Communications. Hossain Sadat, Senior Director, Head of GP Public & Regulatory Affairs; Farhana Islam, GP Academy Lead; and other respected officials from Grameenphone were present at the event.

With in-depth training in areas of 4IR specializations, paired with business strategy, value creation, team management, and more – GP Academy trainees are groomed to push their boundaries beyond traditional norms to stand tall in local and global markets for skilled talent. To be a part of the futureproof journey of GP Academy and access its courses, please visit https://grameenphone.academy .

Tazriba Khurshid

Corporate Communications Manager

Email: tazriba.khurshid@grameenphone.com

Phone: 8801711092233

Md Hasan,

Head of External Communications

Email: md.hasan@grameenphone.com

Phone: 8801711082469

About Grameenphone Ltd.

Grameenphone, part of the Telenor Group, is a leading telecommunications service provider in Bangladesh with more than 83 million subscribers. Since its inception in 1997, Grameenphone has built the largest cellular network in the country, covering nearly 95 percent of the country's population. With its brand promise to enable customers to "Go beyond," Grameenphone seeks to help customers get the full benefit of mobile data and voice services and provide Internet For All. Grameenphone is listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange. www.grameenphone.com, www.facebook.com/grameenphone.