Skill Up! Nepal

Background

Nepal stands at a critical development stage, facing persistent poverty, youth unemployment, and unskilled labour migration, despite strong potential in green businesses and diversified agriculture. Youth unemployment (ages 16–35) remains significantly higher than the national average, largely due to a mismatch between education and labour market needs, leaving many young people without practical, employable skills. As a result, youth are pushed into informal, low-paid work or overseas migration.

These challenges are most acute in rural and remote municipalities, where access to quality training and employment opportunities is limited. Financial constraints, social norms, and gender inequalities further restrict economic participation, particularly for young women and disadvantaged groups.

Although Nepal has taken steps to promote skills development through Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT), gaps remain in providing comprehensive and market-relevant support to youth and job linkage, especially in rural and peri-urban areas where most people depend on agriculture.

How Do We Work

The Skill Up! project addresses youth unemployment and promotes sustainable livelihoods in Nepal's least developed provinces — Sudurpaschim and Karnali — through a multi-stakeholder, collaborative approach. We start with labour market analysis to identify local needs, demand-driven green skills and livelihood opportunities, and understand the challenges faced by rural and semi-urban youth, ensuring our interventions are locally relevant.

We engage with CTEVT-affiliated Green Vocational Schools, local and provincial governments, private sector actors, financial institutions, and non-profit organizations to share expertise, leverage resources, and provide policy support. This creates a comprehensive skills and entrepreneurship ecosystem that links training directly to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities. Vocational and entrepreneurship training is delivered through Green Vocational Schools and private training institutes focusing on entrepreneurship to equip youth with practical, market-relevant skills.

Our approach emphasizes market-relevant training aligned with the 10 Skill Up! Quality Standards, including skill trainings, counseling, mentoring, and post-training support.

Project at a Glance

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Target Groups

1,080 Youths

From disadvantaged and vulnerable groups — 50% women, including marginalized poor and persons with disabilities (PWD).

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Focus Areas

6 Pillars

Skills & Entrepreneurship Development, Vocational Trainings, Digital Literacy, Access to Market, Business Incubation and Mentorship Support.

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Project Areas

2 Districts

Surkhet: Birendranagar, Bheriganga & Barahatal Rural Municipality
Kanchanpur: Krishnapur & Shuklaphanta Municipality

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Project Duration

2.5 Years

15 October 2024 – 14 April 2027

What Do We Do

The project empowers marginalized and disadvantaged youth including school dropouts, migrants, and persons with disabilities in Sudurpaschim and Karnali to achieve inclusive economic growth through the promotion of gainful employment and self-employment.

The project has developed comprehensive curricula on life skills, soft skills development, digital literacy, and business literacy. It provides vocational skills training along with digital literacy and life skills education to enhance participants' employability and entrepreneurial capacity. In addition, the project supports job placement, business incubation, and enterprise development, including promotion of green entrepreneurship. Participants also receive coaching, mentorship, market linkages, access to finance, and internship opportunities to ensure sustainable livelihood outcomes.

The project also strengthens institutional capacities and engages government and private partners including CTEVT, local training providers, provincial ministries, municipalities, financial institutions, and MSMEs to ensure vocational training is sustainable and inclusive.

To increase the participation of persons with disabilities and disadvantaged youth, the project will provide scholarships to 50 youths, covering accommodation and travel costs to ensure greater participation and retention in vocational training.

Under the Green TVET Initiative, the project promotes environmental sustainability through the planting of ornamental and fruit trees and the adoption of eco-friendly practices.

The project has established two climate-smart demonstration and learning centres per municipality, in collaboration with local and provincial partners, to showcase integrated climate-smart practices, while supporting the promotion of organic production through PGS, including ongoing support to Karnali Province.

We raise awareness on organic products through inclusive, gender-focused planning with municipalities, and support two municipalities in developing and piloting inclusion policies.

Project Outcomes

1

The economic stability and decent income generation of vulnerable young people have improved through profitable employment or self-employment, resulting in increased food and nutrition security.

2

Young vulnerable people use the acquired (labour) market-relevant competencies and the provided access to necessary resources and labour market linkages to secure (self-) employment opportunities.