Nepal Skills for Employment Programme (SEP)

A Technical Assistance project to better train and place Nepalis in both domestic and international jobs. By primarily using a Challenge Fund mechanism, SEP will partner with the private sector to bring in innovative training models to address key gaps while also leveraging private sector resources. Models will focus on solutions in the ICT, tourism, commercial agriculture, light manufacturing, and hydropower sectors, all of which are key economic drivers for Nepal. The project will also look at partnering with relevant government entities to evaluate and recommend public training models, as well as develop skilling capacity at the provincial level. Along the way, SEP will provide targeted support to build capacity in key skilling areas with other Development Partners. The migration piece of SEP will focus on harnessing the benefits of migration for Nepal’s workforce and economic development. SEP will demonstrate a number of cost-effective models to increase migrants’ skills; lower financing and other costs of traveling abroad; and, increase savings and investment of remittances. Cross cutting will be financial literacy. SEP will work in tandem with efforts by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and other key counterparts in Nepal and Asia, which depends heavily on Nepali migrants. As a result, the project will help overcome the skills mismatch, reaching over 90,000 Nepalis with an increase in income attributed to the project. Of these beneficiaries, 40% are likely to be women and 30% from Disadvantaged Groups (DAGs) including Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). As DFID’s implementing partner on this initiative, Louis Berger will coordinate its strategies and activities with major public, private sector, donor community, including donor agencies, and other stakeholders who are involved in providing support to the GoN in skills development.