Youth elated after skill training, SAMBRIDDHI aims to benefit 125,000 households of 16 districts

ITAHARI: Suraj Bishwakarma, 25, was mulling to fly abroad for job as migrant worker like a few close friends of his neighborhood. His decision to go abroad has changed, thanks to a skill training he got free of cost couple of years ago. He received a three-month-long training as a building electrician. Now, this youngster of Itahari-7 has a sound income of around Rs 30,000 per month, utilizing the skills that the training has provided.

“I stopped thinking about foreign jobs in Arab and Malaysia as I can make the same level of income here in my hometown itself,” says elated Bishwakarma. He adds, ”My friends also do not make more than Rs 40,000 in foreign lands. I can make around Rs 30,000 per month here itself. Living with family and making a decent income is what stops me from going abroad now.”

Bishwakarma can fix any electrical problems in any building. His cell phone keeps ringing for daily demands, to which he is readily available. ”I am busy almost all days. Busy-ness is a great thing for business,” says satisfied Bishwakarma. Rubika Rai, 32, an inhabitant of Dharan-17 Bichghopa, also has an interesting tale about her newfound hotel skills. She obtained a 3-month-long hotel and hospitality training in Dharan. The training she accomplished two years ago has boosted both her confidence and income. ”I was selling grocery items to sustain my family of three – myself, my husband and a small kid,” says Rai, ”Now, I have started a food stand just in front of my store. This gives me additional income.”

The new lockdown owing to the second wave of COVID-19 has troubled her business. However, her income-generating skill is not affected. She says, ”Once everything goes normal, I can make good comeback in my business.” She does not want to disclose her monthly earning. However, she says her income has increased after her hotel-related training. Bishwakarma and Rai are just two examples out of thousands of skilled individuals financially and technically supported by Rural Enterprises and Remittance Project (SAMBRIDDHI) under the Ministry of Industry. SAMBRIDDHI has collaborated with Helvetas Nepal and FNCCI’s Agro Enterprises Center to train the youth like Bishwakarma and Rai. On December of 2015, Nepal Government and International Fund for Agricultural Development reached an agreement to run Rural Enterprises and Remittance Project (SAMBRIDDHI).

The designed tenure of the project is November 2017 to December 2022. The project area includes 16 districts of three provinces of Nepal. From Province Number 1, there are 7 districts namely Morang, Sunsari, Dhankuta, Tehrathum, Bhojpur, Udayapur, Okhaldunga and Khotang. In Province Number 2, there are 7 districts which include Saptari, Siraha, Sarlahi, Dhanusa, Mahottari, Rautahat and Bara. From Bagmati Province, Sindhuli district also falls in the area covered by this project. A total of 208 local bodies are inside the project area. The project aims to achieve poverty alleviation through provision of decent jobs for skilled human resources.

”SAMBRIDDHI plans to benefit 125 thousand households in our project area,” says Shalik Ram Dahal, Project Manager at the Project Management Office based in Itahari, Sunsari. He adds, ”We are afoot to train and produce 30,000 youths with skilled jobs.” Dahal says the target beneficiaries includes 80% of citizens living under the poverty line. Out of this, 33% women, 40% youths of age 18 to 40 years and 60% migrant workers who returned from abroad and their families.

5,002 have graduated and 10,702 are undertaking training: Helvetas

Out of 30,000 target of skilled youth capable enough to generate income through decent jobs, 5,002 are already in the market. According to Sukh Bahadur Chaudhary, the provincial coordinator of Province 1, 5002 of these trainees are now in the job market. They graduated in the fiscal year of 2075/76 BS. He says 10,702 are in the ongoing training session, which has been affected by the pandemic. According to Balmukunda Neupane, the Team Leader of Decent Job section which is also referred to as Sub-component 1.3 inside Helvetas, out of the targeted 30,000 skilled human resources, 24,000 are undertaking the 3-month-long vocational training and remaining 6,000 are undergoing apprenticeship training. Apprenticeship is the 6-month-long on-the-job training for industries. ”Among the total figure of 10,702, apprenticeship training includes 1,300 people and 9,420 of vocational training,” says Neupane. He adds, ”Our training includes a total of 9 sectors like tourism, hospitality, engineering and industry, and 23 subjects which are market-oriented.”

Neupane says Helvetas is part of the SAMBRIDDHI as Helvetas has result-based financing system based on which joining a job or generating self-employment is a must to be a full-fledged beneficiary of the skill training. ”Our production would have been much bigger this year,” says Neupane, ”The pandemic has delayed our schedule and functioning.”

RSS