Our objective
The launch of the "With Skills in Hand, Employability is a Chance" campaign attracted 4076 visitors including employers, exhibitors, media, donors, secondary school students. It is a four-month long campaign to raise awareness of the importance of TVET. The campaign is led by the Council of Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT), the apex body of TVET in Nepal, with technical support from the EU funded Dakchyata project implemented by British Council.
The event was opened by H.E. Veronica Cody, Ambassador of European Delegation to Nepal and Dr. Pushpa Raman Wagle, Member Secretary on 5 February 2020 at Balaju School of Engineering and Technology (BSET), Kathmandu. The national launch gained important endorsement from employers’ bodies, such as Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI).
Dr. Pushpa Raman Wagle, Member Secretary, CTEVT thanked all stakeholders - European Union, British Council and Industry partners on the collaborative effort in launching the campaign and urged all parties to work together to communicate the value of TVET and its strong link to employment. Dr. Pushpa Raman Wagle also stated that the campaign will play a crucial role in bridging the gap between employers, employees and training provider to improve training pathways for young people.
H.E. Ambassador Veronica Cody expressed her belief that the campaign will help change attitudes towards TVET and motivate young people to choose it as a potential pathway to employment.
Our strategy
The National launch was followed by local events in the three focus districts of the campaign - Janakpur (Central Terai region), Pokhara (Western region), and Tikapur (Far-Western region). These events marked start of the four-month campaign which will deliver activities under three sub-campaigns: a school campaign, an employers’ campaign and community-based campaign ending in May 2020 with an practice sharing event in June 2020.
All events included two key activities, a formal inauguration that saw attendance from key public and private sector stakeholders and a TVET fair and skills demonstrations that saw secondary school students and TVET students have the chance to meet employers and businesses. Government representatives including the Social Welfare Minister and the Mayors of Janakpur, Tikapur and Pokhara attended along with private sector representatives including the President of Local Chamber of Commerce, Province Chief and President of Journalists Association. All these key stakeholders and beneficiaries endorsed the value of the campaign giving it a real impetus.
The second part of the events, the TVET fair and skills demonstration, gave employers from the Agriculture, Construction and Tourism industry a platform to explain and demonstrate skills needed for their industry. Visitors were potential students looking to enhance the right skills for employment. Live skills competitions such as momo (dumpling) making and pipe fitting, made for a vibrant and interactive event. The winners of skills competitions were awarded with prizes.
Our impact
Positive feedback was received from all stakeholders who judged the campaign as an innovative intervention in TVET sector. The success was underpinned by the ownership of the campaign by CTEVT, all delegates welcomed the usefulness of the campaign and its relevance mobilising students and volunteers from national and local TVET institutions, community schools and attracting employers and visitors.
“Seeing the employers at an educational event was a pleasant surprise. I liked how the students had an opportunity to see the employment of TVET education system. We need more events like this one”, participant in the event
“As an engineering aspirant, I found that the information from the job providers and the counsellors was encouraging. The Engineering models on display were well explained by the faculty and students at Balaju School of Engineering and Technology (BSET). I feel lucky to have attended this event and think more events like this should be done in the future so that more youth can be benefitted.”, participant in the event
