Adequate application expansion of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) among youths could be an effective means of making them self-reliant through promoting entrepreneurship.

Youths should come forward to attain competence in this field to meet up its gradually increasing demands.

The observations came at a daylong workshop titled "ICT-based Entrepreneurship for Youths" held at Rajshahi University on Friday, organised by local unit of Youth School for Social Entrepreneurship (YSSE).

"We want to see our youths as competent manpower in ICT," said Prof Dr Shah Azam Shantonu, general secretary of Rajshahi University Teachers Association.

The present government has taken steps to impart training to 55,000 students on ICT to create skilled manpower in the next two years, he said, adding, since 2013, about 34,000 youths have received training in the field of information technology, of which 12,000 are female.

Hasibul Hassan, YSSE divisional coordinator, Suman Hossain, RU economics teacher, and Golam Mostofa, chief executive officer of Creative ICT Institute, also spoke.