Impact
Impact
Numbers matter, but only because of what they stand for: young people earning their own living, women running their own businesses, employers finding the staff they need.
From training to a living
Of the young people we have trained, 42 per cent found paid employment and 40 per cent started a business of their own.
That second group is the one we are proudest of. A trained tailor with her own machine, a baker with a stall, a beautician working from her front room — each of them supports a household, and several of them now employ others.
Women first
Seventy per cent of our students are women. For many of them a Prism course is the first training they have followed since leaving school, and the first income they have earned themselves.
We keep the barriers low: courses at times that fit family life, and instructors who understand what it takes for a woman in this region to start a business.
From dependence to entrepreneur
“The greatest thing this business has given me is that I can keep my child close and still work for myself. The fear of having to leave her behind for a job has faded.”
Sharmin Sultana
Proprietor, Safa Agro & Food, Jashore · Food & Beverage Production
Sharmin Sultana was working at Jashore 250-Bed Hospital when her first marriage ended and, later, when her daughter was born. The question that followed was how to earn a living and still be there for her child.
She trained in Food & Beverage Production through the SICIP Tourism & Hospitality ISC Programme at Prism — not only cooking, but business planning, hygiene, food safety and marketing. When her daughter was two months old she opened Safa Agro & Food.
Working through partners
More than twenty NGOs and sector organisations send participants to Prism or run programmes with us. That partnership model is what allows us to reach students who could never pay a full fee.
It also keeps our curriculum honest: partners tell us what the labour market actually needs, and we adjust.
Support a student
A sponsored place pays for training, materials and assessment. Talk to us about what a contribution makes possible.