Our concept is about technical skill development program for
the village. It is just brief and require more details.

Find it as under for your reference:

Technical & Vocational Education:

Like any public schools run under the government’s national education system in
Nepal, the four village schools also do not have any vocational and technical
training facilities. Moreover, the school curriculum is based on general
education system with no orientation towards any technical and vocational skill.
Obviously, there is also not any training center in the area for any vocational
and technical trainings. As a result, the young men and women who are out of the
school education opportunity are helpless and end up landing at some odd job if
they are lucky.

Unemployment and Underemployment:

Unemployment among the youth is rampant and underemployment among the farmers in
the village is chronic and at wider scale. Due to these reasons, poverty is
inevitable destiny in the village.

Farmers -

The able bodies that should be economically productive and supporting the family
are mostly unemployed. On the other hand, those who remain in the village for
the farm work can not exploit their labor fully since the farming method is
traditional. Sometimes, they try to use some new methods and crops but, can not
succeed most of the time due to lack of proper knowledge and skill. So, some men
and almost all women who are involved in the farm work in the village are
underemployed during winter and spring seasons.

Youth -

Majority of the 80 % school drop out young girls and boys have never access to
any kind of skill development opportunity. Many of them end up back to the
traditional farm work that is just for keeping the lives hardly going on. Girls
get married and most of the boys above 15 years cast out to different towns in
Nepal and India for menial jobs. Those who could pay manpower agent are going to
Gulf countries and Malaysia as labor. Since they are unskilled workers, their
salary on average is US$ 200/month.

Job Market -

Even for the few who have school and college degrees, job opportunity is next to
impossible due to their non technical and non job oriented education. There is
very limited job opportunity in towns only for the brightest and those having
good connection to higher positions. Such merits and advantages for those coming
from rural village like Bolde are out of question. If they are lucky, they can
get job as teachers in the village schools. Even this chance is rare. In such a
sorry situation, many young men and women by compulsion end up doing something
that is nothing to do with their educational qualification. Many of them work as
taxi drivers, field staff in trekking and mountaineering, lower rank staff in
hotels and restaurants etc. in towns.

Disinterest in Education -

With such not so good result at the end of their studies to land at productive
jobs, some of the young men see no point pursuing higher study. However, girls
have more interest in pursuing the study more understandably to strengthen their
position in the male dominating family and societies. Educational qualification
earns them more respect and better chance to get more educated grooms.
Because of the non job oriented education system in Nepal, not a good sign to
note now is many of the poor parents in the village have less interest to send
their children to school.
Playing groups Per year per childrens 90 Euro
Grade 1 to 3 class Per year per students 120 Euro
Grade 4 to 6 class per year per students 130 Euro
Grade 7 to 8 class per year per students 145 Euro
Grade 9 to 10 class per year per students 155 Euro

© Skill Development Program: A New Hope

With the process of peaceful resolution of political conflict, the education
system can be expected to be revised and become more skill oriented in the long
run but, not in the near future as the government has other urgent priorities.
Something has to be done towards this end also from private and community levels
on their respective capacities. Prudent way for now is to make skill development
opportunities available to the underprivileged and marginalized communities.
Skill development opportunities should be for this big group of young men and
women who do not have a chance for higher studies. The skills they are provided
should be useful for becoming economically productive and supportive to their
families and societies and also meeting the need of the job market.

Technical & Vocational Education Program:

Providing skill development opportunities to the needy people from the village
can be made through Technical & Vocational Education Program. Different type and
level of skills will be provided to the needy people mainly under the following
training programs:

(I) Local - Agro and Handicraft Skill:

The local economy is based mainly on agriculture that is at subsistence level.
To generate more income from the farms and live stocks, the villagers need
modern skill and knowledge. Properly trained Agriculture and Veterinary
Technicians can help the farmers in this regard. Another important point is to
address the chronic problem of semi or under employment situation in the
village. Development of local handicrafts through better skills in weaving,
knitting, carpentry etc. can be another productive way. Local women and elderly
people can benefit from the handicraft skills. If agriculture and livestock are
more developed, agro based cottage industry also require skilled manpower in the
village itself.

(II) Market Job Oriented Skill:

There is a growing demand of different skills in construction workers,
industrial workers, electricians, health workers, mountain tourism field staff,
hospitality staff etc. in the country and abroad. Technicians for electronic,
computer hardware etc. are also in good demand and increasing. The needy and
willing can go for different short-term and mid-term trainings available in
different institutes. After completion of the course, they can work in the
village and elsewhere such skills are required and job opportunities available.

(III) Skill Development Center:

A Community Skill Development Center is essential to keep the development of
handicraft and cottage industry skills continued in the village. The Center will
be in constant contact with handicraft skilled groups to help the villagers
sustain in the market. It will coordinate with other handicraft centers in the
activities such as: upgrading the skills, searching markets, developing new
designs of handicrafts products etc. Without such ongoing support from the
Center, the village handicraft can not sustain for a long. Another main function
of the center will be to train more people in the village with the help of those
who have their technical skill course already completed under its program. It
can maintain a network among different skilled individuals who got trained under
the program for further skill programs.

The center also will run short terms vocational courses for the students in
cooperation with the schools during their summer vacation. Such courses would be
on computer literacy, art, knitting, weaving, stitching etc. Basic Life Skill
courses; like cooking, baking gardening, hair dressing etc. also could be
packaged in the school courses. The center gradually can develop its own courses
in different skills as per the need.

The Center also will work in coordination with agriculture technicians working
in the village so that they can best use their skills in the interest of farmers
there.

(D) Skill Training Arrangement - Type and Number:

There is not any type of training centers in the village area. So, all the
selected candidates have to be sent to different training centers in other parts
of Nepal mainly in towns. Selection of the skill trainings have been done on the
basis of local need, job market and manpower needed for the Center under its own
program:

Types of skill trainings to be provided in the first phase are as under:

01. JTA ( Junior Technician Assistant, Agriculture) for 1 person
02. VJTA (Veterinary Junior Technician Assistant) for 1 person
03. Electrician Assistant for 2 person
04. Construction Worker/Mason for 2 persons
05. Handicraft -Knitting & Weaving for 2 persons