Partnerships
ALIGNMENT WITH GOVERNMENT OF NEPAL
The UKaid Skills for Employment Programme (सीप) is supporting Nepali firms and people to take advantage of the potential economic dividend of a growing working-age population and emerging markets and job roles by skilling Nepalis, with special focus on women and disadvantaged groups,—to help them seize employment opportunities, either in Nepal or through temporary outmigration. Aligned with and approved by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS) and the Ministry of Finance, UKaid सीप supports the Government of Nepal’s vision of creating decent employment opportunities for Nepali youth. The programme is catalyzing and co-funding innovative industry-driven initiatives to enhance and expand quality skilling and job placement services, directly complimenting the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEP)—Nepal Government’s flagship initiatives under MoLESS, that aims to enhance employability and promote social protection for Nepalis. सीप also works to increase migrants’ skill, lower their financial burden by reducing the costs associated with traveling abroad while helping the migrants increase savings and creating environments for investment of remittances into more productive use—directly assisting MoLESS achieve its vision for safer and dignified migration. UKaid सीप work in close association with the provincial and local governments, especially Lumbini Province and Madhesh Province, to promote long-term economic development goals in key priority sectors by supporting the common skilling, employment, and migration management agendas. In collaboration with key government and industry stakeholders, सीप is supporting generation of new and improved employment, also strengthening the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system, through innovative employment and migration optimization interventions.
In 2018-2019, UKaid सीप set up a National Steering Committee, comprising of key officials from MoLESS and others, to oversee implementation of the programme. In summary, here's how सीप’s interventions are helping in the growth and employment creation through increased sustainable skilling and placement, as well as migration management approaches.
Promoting Domestic Employment: Productive employment adheres to adequate remuneration for the employees; stability of employment and assurance of effective working conditions. To support PMEP’s objective of promoting productive employment, सीप is catalysing partnerships and investments to skill and place Nepali youth, especially women and people from disadvantaged and marginalised communities, in productive jobs in priority growth sectors of Nepal: agriculture, construction, ICT, light manufacturing, and tourism. Using a market-driven approach, सीप is working to address labor market, and firm and industry-level constraints and strengthen job-linked skilling systems, solutions, and partnerships.
Migration Management: Nepal has a chronic shortage of employment in the country which has resulted in a significant number of the workforce opting for foreign migration. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the national economy has led to shrink in investment and capital accumulation coupled with larger labour supply pressure in Nepal. There are chances of higher distress among aspirant migrants to meet the general knowledge requirement such as skilling, financial literacy and managing finances to make the best out of migrating abroad. सीप creates a bridge for MoLESS programmes and the private sector actors; enables investment to match labour supply and demands in a more regulated environment. UKaid सीप also offers technical assistance to undertake research and evaluation activities to identify the new labour corridors that can help Nepal manage its skilled aspirant migrant.
Collaboration with Lumbini Province
The Lumbini Province Government – Ministry of Social Development (MoSD), Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning (MoEAP), the Office of the Chief Minister, and local governments (rural/municipalities) are mandated to improve the skills of its citizens, create jobs in current and emerging priority growth sectors, and promote indigenous skills, products, and medium, small and micro enterprises (MSMEs). The current five-year periodic plan (2019/20 - 2024/25) of the provincial government emphasizes on creating employment opportunities for youth and disadvantaged groups in collaboration with the private sector. One of its working policies illustrates developing skilled human resources by using a Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach and providing demand driven skilling in partnership with industrial enterprises, financial institutions and training centres.
Agriculture, industry, and tourism are the major three pillars of development for the province. The provincial government targets to achieve economic growth of 9.5% by the year 2023/24. Attracting world-class investments in the province’s priority sectors supported with a skilled workforce is at the heart of the province’s inclusive growth agenda. The province aims to also reintegrate migrant returnees with appropriate skilling based on market-demand. Through strategic alliance with the Lumbini Province Government, UKaid सीप is forging transformational partnerships between the private and public sector to propel growth of employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in priority sectors: commercial agriculture, light manufacturing, tourism, ICT, and construction. Some highlights:
Since 2019, Lumbini Province Government and सीप have jointly conducted a Skills Gap Assessment and Employment Status Study which highlighted the status of employment and analyzed three key growth corridors: Butwal-Bhairahawa, Ghorahi-Tulsipur and Nepalgunj-Kohalpur. सीप Organized an ‘Employment Conference’ with the Provincethat led to the design of a roadmap for private sector-led skills development initiatives aimed at employment generation and sectoral growth. Catalyzed and co-funded a partnership with Palpali Dhaka Association (PDA) to support revival of thePalpali Dhaka industry to enable sustained skilling-based job creation and enterprise growth for enterprises and weavers, especially women. Through a partnership with Rojgari Services formalized agreement for a public-private cooperation with the ICT Pratisthan of Lumbini Province, is supporting the government’s digitally-driven efforts to support job seekers in the province.
Expanded industry-led skilling, certification, and job/self-employment placements on diversified and market oriented job roles such as the heavy equipment operation, poultry, livestock, aquaculture, ICT, manufacturing industries, and the emerging logistics industry through सीप partners such as MAW Earth Movers Private Limited (MEPL), Upaya City Cargo, Genese Solutions, and Shreenagar Agro Farm. Learn more about these partnerships.
Collaboration with Madhesh Province Government
The Madhesh Province Government has embarked on an ambitious agenda for the economic and social transformation identifying key sectors for structural transformation and job creation focused on: i) tourism, ii) ICT, iii) agro-processing, iv) construction/infrastructure and v) light manufacturing. The provincial government intends to propel growth in these priority sectors through expanded access to employment, quality skilling, and investments in skilling infrastructure. The provincial government also seeks to harness the benefits of migration for its workforce and economic development by demonstrating cost-effective models to increase migrants’ skills; lower financing and other costs of traveling abroad; and increase savings and investment of remittances.
In October 2018, UKaid सीप together with the provincial government, under the leadership of the Office of the Chief Minister, organised the very first Government-Industry Conclave in Simara in an effort to improve and increase collaborations between the government and the private sector. The discourse at the conclave focused on identification of the challenges inhibiting growth of priority industries/sectors; incentive structures and support needed from the government to create an enabling environment for businesses to expand their investments and impact in the province; and reaffirmation of the government’s commitment to facilitating skills development, employment generation, and migration management through market-driven initiatives and public private partnerships.
Following the conclave, in November 2018, the Office of the Chief Minister passed a regulation (Bigya Samuha Gathan Nirdeshika) that provided a legal provision for creating a cross-sectoral Advisory Committee, as recommended by सीप—envisioned to support and guide the province on socioeconomic transformation—with an emphasis on skills development and employment creation. In May 2019, the Office of the Chief Minister solicited UKaid सीप’s support to convene the first meeting of the Advisory Committee to start turning conversations into actions. The discourse at the event, organised in Birgunj, revolved around unveiling of the committee, its role, pathways for engagement as well as identification of leverage points and catalysing of collaborations and commitment to common goals on skill building, job creation, and migration management.
Right from the start of UKaid सीप’s engagement, the Madhesh Province Government has demonstrated able leadership and relentless commitment to sustained collaborative action to address complex market constraints and deep-rooted challenges in the skilling and migration management system. For the government, the Advisory Committee and the Skilling and Migration Management Secretariat provides a mutually-reinforcing structured basis to encourage and co-invest in priority partnerships and activities for increased and improved incomes and productivity especially for those from the most excluded and disadvantaged groups including women.
UKaid सीप has continued providing technical assistance to the provincial government to elevate and integrate skilling, employment, and migration management as a central priority in the government’s plans and budget. Through its Regional Office in Janakpur, UKaid सीप has continued to deepen its engagement with the Chief Minister’s Office, primarily the Provincial Planning Commission and the proposed Skilling and Migration Management Secretariat to harness the private sector’s expertise and resources and catalyse public private partnerships. Other highlights:
Through our technical assistance, UKaid सीप is assisting the Madhesh Province Government in its bid to economic recovery, responding to the employment need during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of this, सीप has drafted an Operational Guideline for the Chief Minister’s Employment Program.
Furthermore, सीप analyzed the need of subsidized loan products for people to engage in self-employment opportunities. The CMEP is designed to offer ‘Productive Safety-net’ for social protection and सीप introduced an innovative solution to social protection in the country.
Through our diverse partnerships focusing on industry-led skilling, certification, and job/self-employment placements, सीप is supporting the Madhesh Province Government further it’s economic goals. These are leading to creation of market oriented job roles such as in the heavy equipment operation, agriculture, ICT, manufacturing (yarn and carpet) industries, such as: through MAW Earth Movers Private Limited (MEPL) via its skilling facility located at Janakpur; yarn manufacturing industries under Nepal Yarn Manufacturing Association; and Label STEP through high-value carpet weaving Artisan Villages based in Sarlahi; Genese Solutions with ICT colleges coverage throughout the province by offering ICT-scholarship for young girls with likes of Girls in Tech - Nepal and mobilizing different banks’ CSR funding; Sana Kisan Bikas Laghubittaya Bitthiya Sanstha (with 34 local co-operatives across the province) providing financial solutions for returnee migrants; and Laxmi Bank along with Laxmi Laghubittiya Sanstha with branches across the province.