UKaid Skills for Employment Programme Nepal - सीप

17/05/2023

A proud moment for the UK in Nepal Skills for Employment Programme (SEP) implemented by WSP USA: UKaid SEP received a special award from the Honorable Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat at the "Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) Make In Nepal Swadeshi Summit 2023” conducted yesterday. While handing over the award, special mention was made of UKaid SEP’s support to partner industries' in their sectoral transformation pathways, strengthening of training infrastructure, providing high quality skills training in emerging job roles, and guiding firms on the path to enhancing organizational capability.

Other notable participants at the “CNI Make in Nepal Swadeshi Summit 2023” were Honorable Industry Minister Mr. Ramesh Rijal, National Planning Commission Vice Chair Dr. Min Bahadur Shrestha, Honourable Member of Parliament Dr. Swarnim Wagle, Secretaries from numerous ministries, industry leaders, development partners and around two dozen media houses.

UKaid SEP will continue working towards transferring best practices in the private sector pertaining to sectoral transformation and innovative skilling models under the ownership of CNI.

16/05/2023

Excited to share that the UK in Nepal Skills for Employment Programme (SEP) is participating as the skilling partner in the “Make in Nepal Swadeshi Summit 2023” organized by the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI). The summit aims to create a national climate that promotes domestic industrial production, enhances competitiveness of local firms and stimulates demand for Nepali goods and services. We are proud to partner with CNI and integrate the SKILL NEPAL agenda into the SWADESHI – Make in Nepal Campaign.

04/05/2023

HAPPENING NOW: Day 2 of the UK in Nepal SEP Partners' Review at the UK in Nepal SEP office. Exciting to see UKaid SEP partners coming together for the Partnership Review Meeting, discussing progress towards meeting targets and finding solutions to implementation challenges. eSewa-Nepal First Online Payment Gateway, Global IME Bank Limited/ Aadhyanta Fund Management, Label STEP, Laxmi Bank, Shreenagar Agro Group, and Sana Kisan Bikas Laghubitta Bittiyasanstha Ltd. are in attendance today to jointly discuss and strategize on successfully achieving committed targets.

03/05/2023

HAPPENING NOW: SEP Partners' Review at the UK in Nepal SEP office with Nepal Yarn Manufacturer’s Association (NYMA), MAW Skills Academy (MSA) and Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) partners. Exciting to see UKaid SEP partners coming together for the Partnership Review Meeting, discussing progress towards meeting targets and finding solutions to challenges. NYMA partners - Reliance Spinning Mills Ltd.,Nepal, Jagadamba Spinning Mills and Industries; MSA partners - Butwal Technical College, Peace Technical Training Center - PTTC; and CNI partners – Goldstar Shoes and Litmus Cables are in attendance today to jointly discuss and strategize on successfully achieving committed targets.

10/04/2023

Do you know ? More than 1,700 Nepalis leave Nepal in search of employment opportunities. 21,00,000 Nepalis are abroad. Consequently, Nepal’s inward Remittances has increased more than 3-fold in a decade. However, migrants and households spend 75%-80% of this on unproductive activities, undermining the potential benefits migrant households can harness from migration. Literatures show that 1) lack of financial products the migrants need, & 2) constraints on easy access to formal products & services have resulted in a low propensity of savings & productive investments among migrant households.

UK in Nepal SEP is proud to announce a partnership 🤝 between eSewa-Nepal First Online Payment Gateway & Laxmi Capital to facilitate access to the latter’s Systemic Investment Plan (SIP) and Unit Purchase Plan to migrant workers remotely from destination countries through the eSewa app - creating a virtual financial marketplace connecting buyers to sellers offering investment plans.

This collaboration is a part of UKaid SEP and eSewa’s larger partnership and vision to enable a paradigm shift towards opening up new avenues for migrant workers to utilise their savings into productive investments. This partnership will offer investment products aimed at migrant workers’ whose remittances are spent in unproductive investments. This will also respond to the current market constraints for limited investment options by integrating wealth creation products through BFIs to make additional offerings targeted at migrants and their households in 🇳🇵

24/03/2023

NEW PARTNERSHIP ALERT: UKaid SEP has onboarded Dungaree Garments from Devdaha Municipality in Lumbini Province to institute a formalized skilling/employment structure in the garment sector, part of the yarn-textile-garment value chain that UKaid SEP is already working in under the Nepal Yarn Manufacturers’ Association partnership. This is envisioned to lead to a skilled inclusive workforce & enhanced productivity during the factory’s expansion phase. The Partnership Induction Workshop is happening now at UKaid SEP’s Regional Office, Butwal, which also includes another new partner, Nashib Garment Udhyog.

23/03/2023

NEW PARTNERSHIP ALERT: UK in Nepal SEP has onboarded Nashib Garment Udhyog in Lumbini Province to institute a formalized skilling/employment structure in the garment sector, part of the yarn-textile-garment value chain that UKaid SEP is already working in under the Nepal Yarn Manufacturers’ Association partnership. This is envisioned to lead to a skilled inclusive workforce & enhanced productivity during the factory’s expansion phase and beyond. The Partnership Induction Workshop is happening now at UKaid SEP’s Regional Office, Butwal.

24/01/2023

Shovakant Shah Teli is a 21-year-old resident of Gamhariya, Malangwa Municipality, and is a person with disability (PwD). He suffered from polio as a child, which rendered him wheelchair-bound. Mr. Teli became aware of the opportunity to train & work as a carpet weaver in Malangawa from Prerana NGO (https://prerana.org.np), local partner of UK in Nepal SEP partner-Label STEP (Label STEP Malangawa PwD Carpet Workshop profiled in a previous LinkedIn post: www.shorturl.at/cdeS2). Currently nearing the completion of the 3-month long training, Mr. Teli is confident of equipping himself with the skills to weave quality carpets. He is hopeful of being financially independent & contributing to his family’s income. Further, Mr. Teli aspires to become a Master Trainer once he gathers enough experience in carpet weaving, hoping to enable and inspire people with disabilities in income-generating activities like carpet weaving.

Nepal’s National Planning Commission (NPC) estimates 450,000 entrants into the workforce each year. However, absorption is not easy as employment hinges upon economic productivity & growth which is constrained by inadequate infrastructure; poorly trained workers; poor institutional capacity to deliver support services; political instability; & lack of advanced technology. This scenario only gets worse for people with disabilities looking for employment.

According to the National Population Census of Nepal (2011), 1.94% of total population (500,000 Nepalese) have a disability. Out of this, 163,000 are youths between ages 16-40. While the constitution of Nepal has prohibited discrimination of any kind because of one’s disability with the Disabled Protection and Welfare Act (1992) stating that every private company with more than 25 employees should hire at least one person with disabilities for every 25 employees, the same is rarely enforced.

A partnership with the Nepalese carpet manufacturers that has resulted in the development of Artisan Villages in Sarlahi that trains & employs a dedicated workforce, including people with disabilities might just be the answer. With the demand for quality carpets continuing to rise (Nepal’s total carpet exports to the US last year totaled USD 17 million), a dedicated workforce willing to learn & commit to manufacturing quality carpets including for exports are a determining factor to a sustainable partnership with the private sector that is running short of skilled manpower.

SEP is delighted to be a part of this promising partnership and are eagerly tracking Shovakant’s journey to becoming a skilled carpet weaver, and to a Master Weaver eventually.

16/01/2023

16/01/2023

Meet Ms. Er Kundan Sharma, the Principal at Citizen Prabidhik Shikshalaya (Citizen Suppliers Private Limited) Operator Training Center, Nepalgunj. Ms. Kundan Sharma holds graduate & undergraduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering from China. Although the only woman in her batches, Ms. Sharma consistently placed top of her batches, consequently being awarded with the Chinese and Provincial Governments’ Outstanding Student Awards. Following graduation, Ms. Sharma briefly worked as a Product Specialist at JCB/MAW Earthmovers in Kathmandu, which helped her gain technical knowledge on heavy equipment machineries, their operation & marketing, as well as effective corporate office management.

Ms. Sharma is currently the Principal at Citizen Prabidhik Shikshalaya (CPS) in Nepalgunj. CPS is one of the Operator Training Centres (OTCs) for UK in Nepal SEP-MAW Skills Academy(MSA) partnership, where Heavy Equipment Operator (HEO) trainings are being delivered, following which graduates are placed in CPS’s & MSA’s networks. Ms. Sharma was initially appointed as the District Coordinator for CPS OTC in July 2020, which coincided with the first COVID-19 outbreak, greatly affecting the financial & employment sectors.

Over the course of the next two & a half years, Ms. Sharma excelled at her role & was promoted to Principal owing to her persistence, diligence & hard work. During her tenure, Ms. Sharma has traveled across more than 60% of Western Nepal with the primary aim of promoting the courses on offer at the CPS OTC & has met with more than 140 local government bodies & stakeholders from Lumbini, Karnali & Sudurpaschim Provinces. Ms. Sharma has successfully sourced funding for trainings from 10 local governments, with others in the pipeline. Ms. Sharma has also led multiple marketing, promotion & onboarding efforts in localities of the 3 provinces. One of the major achievements of these activities was the successful onboarding of women trainees in this male-dominated sector, which was greatly supported by the MAW Foundation & CPS, by way of scholarships for women trainees. Till date, 12 women have enrolled in HEO course, of which 10 have recently graduated.

Ms. Sharma also continues to engage with employers in the construction sector, with the intention of placing graduates in construction jobs. Till date, engagements with 40+ construction companies/contractors have led to formal agreements with 17 employers. Today, graduates from the CPS OTC work in major infrastructure development projects & major national pride projects across Nepal. CPS OTC has already facilitated employment for 139 graduates.

Ms. Kundan Sharma’s technical domain expertise in construction & heavy equipment, coupled with perseverance, achievements, proactive leadership are embodiment of how women like her are making their mark in non-traditional fields/sectors through taking on lead roles & displaying entrepreneurial acumen.

Contact CPS OTC at 9801006150/[email protected] for information on available courses.

01/01/2023

As we start a new year, we express gratitude to our team, partners and champions.

Thank you for bringing positive changes to the communities that you serve.

Wish you a joyous & productive 2023!

- UKaid सीप family

09/12/2022

Manju Devi Yadav is a widow from Laxminiya, Dhanusha, Madhesh Province, and is a member of the Laxminiya Female (Small Farmers Agricultural Cooperatives Ltd. (SFACL). Head of her household, Ms. Yadav lives with her two sons—Shankar Yadav and Ramesh Yadav, and her mother-in-law in a fragile thatched-roof house on open land, and is considered to be landless. Ms. Yadav works at a local soap factory on a daily wage of NPR 500, barely sustaining their household needs.

In 2021, her elder son aspired to pursue foreign employment in order to support the family. However, the Yadav family could not obtain formal loans to cover pre-migration expenses due to absence of collateral (land) and informal wages. Ms. Yadav was then referred to a SFACL for a Sunaulo Bhavisya Karja (pre-migration loan) under UKaid SEP’s Sana Kisan Bikas Laghubitta Bittiyasanstha Ltd. partnership. The SFACL provided her with information and helped her apply for and process a loan to fund her son’s migration expenses, following which formal credit of NPR 100,000 was disbursed to her son under the Sunaulo Bhavisya Karja.

Ms. Yadav’s son is currently in Saudi Arabia working as a factory worker, where he earns NPR 36,000 per month, and has been remitting money regularly to repay the loan, financially support and uplift the Yadav family’s livelihood. Apart from enabling access to formal finance for the underserved, this partnership also allowed the Yadav family to save an additional NPR 36,000 over the course of the loan period (formal loan @15% p.a. vs @ 36% p.a. on informal loan for 33 months).