KATHMANDU: The European Union (EU) funded and British Council managed Dakchyata: TVET Practical Partnership project awards grants totalling EUR 1.99 million to UNDP (NRs 117,623,000), ILO Nepal (NRs 87,188,000) and IOM (NRs 59,711,953) through the European Union Practical Partnership Fund.
Activities under this grant scheme target trainers or trainees in three of the most important economic sectors in Nepal: Agriculture, Construction and Tourism, mobilising support from employers and their associations, Dakchyata says in a statement.
The projects aim to generate evidence on future skills needs, promote the upskilling of migrant workers, and identify new opportunities for migrant returnees to successfully reintegrate into the labour market. Its purpose is to build competencies of stakeholders and support returnee migrant workers and their families who were affected by the pandemic, through identifying skills and reskilling demands for sustainable reintegration and/or safe labour migration.
All three project partners have strong track records in successful delivery in relevant sectors in Nepal, building on existing programming for rapid mobilisation and start-up. These organisations are specialised in skills development, labour market, and migration support – including in areas of rights of migrants, social and economically reintegration of returning migrants, or skills training for decent jobs.
“The EU is proud to contribute to this action, which will create the basis for integrating returnee migrants in the Nepali labour force, with increased skills and better earning opportunities. This is a win-win for Nepal, and for the returnee migrants, by harnessing a strong workforce and providing dignified economic opportunities to migrants in their own communities” states Mrs Nona Deprez, the European Union’s Ambassador to Nepal.
Similarly, Dakchyata project team leader, Erik Winther-Schmidt said, “The Returning Migrant Workers grant fund is channelled to support a key challenge which emerged with the global pandemic, that is the reintegration of returnee migrant workers who bring with them a range of skills, not all of which may be officially recognised through qualifications and skills. Together with our partners, the three projects have been designed to be complementary to existing initiatives in the field, with the British Council/Dakchyata supporting to address key challenges in skilling returning migrant workers.”
