Young Professionals Program

Young Professionals Program

Population Services and Training Center (PSTC) is looking for qualified candidates who are ready to launch a professional career as a Young Professional. The young professionals program (YPP) is a recruitment initiative that brings new talent to PSTC through an annual intake by competitive entrance process. For young, aspirant and motivated to work for the humanity across the country, the YPP is a platform for launching a career at the development world through PSTC. This program builds upon the national competitive recruitment process which would be held in the month of December each year for the following year.

  • Are you eligible to participate in the young professionals program?
  • Do you hold at least a first-level university degree?
  • Are you 30 or younger by the end of this year?
  • Do you speak either Bangla and/or English fluently?
  • Are you a national of Bangladesh? 

The recruitment is done once a year and is open to nationals of Bangladesh participating in the annual recruitment exercise – the list of participating institutes and/or from individuals is published annually and varies from year to year.

Through the recruitment process your substantive knowledge, analytical thinking, drafting abilities, as well as your awareness of development issue are tested.

Initially you will be appointed for one year and then be reviewed for a continuing appointment. PSTC promotes mobility within and across duty stations and job families. As a new recruit you are expected to work in a different duty station for your detailed assignment. You will be offered orientation and mobility training as well as career support. This will help you adapt and accelerate the learning period leading to productive work and job satisfaction as a young development professional.

The YPP is a unique opportunity for young professionals who have both a passion for development work and the leadership potential to grow in fascinating technical and managerial roles in PSTC. The program is designed for highly qualified and motivated individuals skilled in areas relevant to technical/operations; such as social sciences, population sciences, education, public health, economics, finance, human resources, engineering, planning, international relations to name a few.

To be competitive, candidates need to demonstrate a commitment to development, proven academic success, professional achievement, and leadership capability.

Additional Qualifications

To be competitive for the limited number of positions, a combination of the following credentials is highly desirable:

  • Display a commitment and passion for development field
    ·         Possess good academic credentials
    ·         Exhibit excellent client engagement and team leadership skills

Program Features

Professional Experience

Young Professionals (YP) are expected to make significant contributions toward their unit’s work program while they gain a broad overview of PSTC policies and work. As part of the YPs yearlong program and in line with their units’ business needs and Young Professionals’ interests, they will undertake a business driven rotational “stretch/exposure” assignment where they will gain valuable on-the-job experience.

Training

A comprehensive development curriculum has been designed to ensure that YPs develop a development oriented mindset, gain the foundational learning needed to understand and contribute to PSTC, and build the competencies required for an entry-level position: collaboration, leadership, integrative thinking, and innovation skills, while strengthening a culture of continuous learning.

The curriculum includes a blend of learning activities in a PSTC cohort, small groups or individually. These activities range from onboarding activities, e-learning, cohort discussions with PSTC Top Management Team (TMT) and leadership training, to career development conversations and networking opportunities.

Coaching and Mentoring

YP Buddy: Before they join, Young Professionals are assigned an YP buddy from the previous year’s group, based on their professional interests and cultural background. YP buddies help new recruits to better settle in the new organization and location, as well as to understand the expectations and challenges of the program.

Technical Buddy: In their hiring units, an experienced colleague is assigned as a “go-to person” to answer technical questions in their fields.

PSTC Mentor: Once they have settled into their jobs, Young Professionals can be paired with a technical senior colleague who can mentor them on topics such as career options, “stretch/exposure” assignment opportunities, and help them gain insight into the organizational culture.

Youth Program Team: The Youth Program Team is dedicated to recruiting and helping integrate Young Professionals into PSTC. The team coordinates activities designed to support YPs, including mentoring and guidance, helps develop career strategies, and others. The Youth Program Team is a one-stop shop for Young Professionals looking for support and guidance.

Compensation and Benefits

Salary: As an entry-level professional in PSTC, Young Professionals are offered a lump sum salary, based on their education and professional experience.

Application Essay for the 2020 Selection Process

The global community is racing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals within the next decade, with trillions of dollars needed to deliver on the promise. Overlapping crises, from climate change to pandemics, natural disasters to forced displacement, threaten to erase hard-earned development gains, and historic economic changes, in part from technological advancement and disruption, present risks for countries, but also opportunities if they have made the necessary investments in their people, communities, and economies to take advantage of them.

The world needs partners that can help meet the challenges of today, while making the investments to prepare for the challenges of tomorrow. By offering financing, knowledge, experience, and a long-term commitment to its native land, PSTC is a trusted partner for the govt. to help achieving basic needs and advance the 2030 sustainable development agenda. With a mission to work for population and development, PSTC supports the development work in five thematic areas: population health & nutrition (PHN), youth & adolescent development (YAD), gender and governance (GAG), climate change & adaptation (CCA), and skills education & training (SET).

Describe in fewer than 1,000 words your own contribution to PSTC’s mission (if you were to work for PSTC) and the potential role of PSTC in resolving some of the above challenges. You may focus on a particular thematic area or set of themes as well as your area of interest to describe your proposal.