WB stresses technical education, training for better jobs, entrepreneurship

Kathmandu, Sept. 12

The World Bank has recommended revising the curriculum of technical education and developing simple digital training modules for entrepreneurs to prepare and connect women and youth to better jobs and develop entrepreneurship.

In a Job Diagnostic Nepal 2020 report published a couple of days ago, the WB suggested  promoting  entrepreneur networks targeting women and youth, and developing a mentoring programme that matches younger firms or self-employed youth with more established firms to help them upgrade their operational effectiveness and management skills.

“Support programmes for increasing the productivity and incomes of subsistence and small holder farmers are needed,” said the bank.

Such support includes assistance establishing cooperatives, linking to value chains, accessing seed capital and asset transfers, improving market access, price information, financial education, business and/or technical training related to both farm and off-farm activities.

The multilateral donor also suggested designing digital outreach strategy and marketing campaign as well.

It has given special attention to agriculture and recommended to facilitate connections of rural producers and entrepreneur networks with agricultural extension activities. It has also asked to offer advice on raising farm earnings and climate-resilient alternatives, and small and medium enterprises operating along the agri-processing value chain including transport, logistics, quality standards and export promotion.

Co-sponsor innovation competitions and hackathons to develop digital solutions to improve small-scale producers’ business and management practices are other activities needed in the short term.

Despite rising education and skill levels of Nepal’s labour force, these gains have not led to significantly better job quality, due to the structure of the economy and the nature of labour demand—notably the preponderance of micro-sized family-run wholesale and retail firms.

The WB has suggested developing a multi-sectoral youth employment strategy that addresses skills, job-matching and expanded use of internships and apprenticeships, and uses gender- and geographically-differentiated approaches.

Likewise, continuing mainstreaming soft skills such as problem solving, team work and communication skills into school curriculum, vocational training and programmes for youth and adults engaged in low-productivity activities can be used as the long-term solution.

“Encourage private sector firms and industry groups to provide systematic input into and advocate for a demand-driven skills development system. Consider mechanisms for co-funding skills development programmes in partnership with private firms,” read the report.

Facilitating participation of micro-producers, agriculture cooperatives and SMEs in national, regional and global food value chains; strengthening logistics, hygiene and quality standards; and laying the institutional groundwork for public oversight are other measures recommended by the WB.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 13 September 2020.