Academy for Women Entrepreneurs introduces entrepreneurship course

The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) has introduced a 4-month course to develop women entrepreneurship in Bangladesh through an academic training programme.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas inaugurated the programme on Sunday (20 November) at the capital's EMK Centre.

The course has been developed by the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED), Brac University and funded by the US State Department and EMK Centre.

The academy will utilise Arizona State University's online training platform, DreamBuilder, to train 50 women entrepreneurs on core business skills.  Additionally, the programme will provide a three-month long mentorship programme with local business experts and successful start-up entrepreneurs.

Peter Haas said the programme serves as a testament to the US government's commitment to creating more opportunities for women and girls to succeed as innovators and entrepreneurs.

He said, "Stimulating the growth of women-led businesses is good for society and good for the economy.  In the United States, the number of women-owned firms has grown by 45% within the last decade."

"The US Embassy partners with the Bangladeshi government and key development stakeholders to support young entrepreneurs, especially women, by providing access to soft-skills trainings to enter the competitive job market," he added.

According to the media release, AWE gives enterprising women the knowledge, networks, and access they need to launch and scale successful businesses. By promoting women's economic opportunities and ensuring that women have the capabilities and resources needed to participate in the economy, the AWE program directly supports the US National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality.