Labor Minister Directs Against Training Without Job Guarantee

Kathmandu. Youth Labor and Employment Minister Ramji Yadav has directed that no training programs without job security should be conducted. 

On Thursday, during a discussion organized with industrialists and businessmen at the ministry in Singhdarbar, Minister Yadav emphasized that the main objective of training should be job creation.

Minister Yadav clarified that while the Ministry of Education and CTEVT are for teaching, training provided by the Ministry of Labor must be compulsorily linked to employment. Mentioning that budgets were frozen in past procedures due to lack of ownership from the private sector and trainees, he expressed commitment to formulate and implement a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) through tripartite agreement of employer, worker, and government by next July.

“Having skills is not enough, placement must also happen, otherwise teaching is not our job,” Minister Yadav said at the meeting. “The responsibility of teaching lies with the Ministry of Education and CTEVT. If we are to conduct training, employment must be ensured along with it.” 

He admitted that the budget was frozen due to errors in the procedure, preventing training from being conducted even on the last day of the current fiscal year. “The main reason for this was that all stakeholders could not take ownership of that procedure,” he added. “The procedure was made, but neither the private sector could adopt it, nor the trainees.” 

Expressing his desire to start new programs from July, he appealed for cooperation to create a procedure acceptable to all, involving employers, trainees, and the government.

Despite over 13 billion rupees being spent annually on training by various bodies across the country, Minister Yadav stated that no concrete impact has been observed. The ministry is preparing to correspond with local levels this week to stop short-term and ineffective trainings conducted at the ward level. 

“There has been a lot of training but no impact, I agree with that,” Minister Yadav said. “These one-day programs at the ward level only consume the budget but have no impact whatsoever.” Expressing surprise at hearing the statistic of 13 billion rupees in training annually for the first time, he said the ministry would correspond with local levels this week to reduce this.

Minister Yadav clarified that when revising the training curriculum, the demands and needs of the private sector will be considered, making them 'partners' rather than just 'witnesses'. He informed that the work of formulating new, timely policies and acts, replacing the old employment policy of 2071 BS, will be completed this year. Furthermore, he presented a plan to prepare a 'Job Matching Software' by July 10th to coordinate skilled manpower and employment demand, through which manpower will be supplied.

Minister Yadav commented that the process of determining the minimum wage currently in practice is not scientific. He informed that a framework is being prepared under the leadership of a professor from the Economics Department of Tribhuvan University to set wages based on facts and research, not just on negotiations and agreements. This framework aims to set wages based on geographical regions like Himalayan, Hilly, and Terai, as well as four categories of unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled, and highly skilled, and on a provincial and regional basis.

Presenting data showing approximately 1.9 million foreign workers currently employed in the construction sector, Minister Yadav shared a plan to replace them with trained domestic manpower. He stated that cooperation will be sought with the Ministry of Industry to implement concepts like 'Energy Audit' and 'Lean Manufacturing' to increase industrial productivity. 

Minister Yadav also mentioned that discussions are underway regarding allowing industrial establishments to spend their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds on skill development for their own workers. He expressed his resolve to develop the ministry as a common ministry for employers as well as workers, and stated that the government is committed to encouraging the private sector.