The e-Newsletter of the Gender Network

December 2013 | Vol. 7, No. 3

TVET leads to non-traditional jobs for women in Nepal1

The female labor force participation rate (LFPR) in Nepal was last reported at 49.16 in 2010, according to a World Bank report published in 2012. The majority of women are employed in the agricultural sector. There is also a poor LFPR for women in the non-agricultural sector. Although there have been some improvements in the female LFPR there are still significant gaps in wages and decent work, and significant horizontal and vertical gender segregation in the labor market.2 The Nepal Skills for Employment Project, a US$20 million Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan project, administered by the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training in Nepal, has supported a number of institutions to provide training and skills development for women, people from the Dalit caste (historically and systemically marginalized by society), and other disadvantaged people. The project increased the employment prospects of marginalized groups by increasing their engagement in wage employment and self-employment within the country, and also in international markets through access to skills training. At the policy level, it ensured that the TVET policy formulated a strategy for inclusive access to vocational training while it also contributed in increasing gender sensitivity in the TVET sector. The project had a gender, caste and ethnicity (GCE) strategy to address inequitable access to vocational training by poor individuals, particularly women, Dalits and other disadvantaged groups. The strategy focused on a GCE-oriented training needs assessment and information dissemination; technical skills training delivery to the poor and women (50%), Dalits (25%), and other disadvantaged; the training of district officers, key staff of non-governmental organizations and training providers on GCE-sensitization training modules; enabling the capacity of officials to report GCE-disaggregated data; and ensuring the representation of women, Dalits, and other disadvantaged groups in all elements of the project. The project therefore had a twin approach to train those whose skills needed upgrading for economic empowerment, and to gender-sensitize training providers and officials to enable the maximum benefit out of the training. Long term systemic gender and caste discrimination requires intergenerational interventions for sustainable and permanent outcomes. The project was designed to have at least 60% of the trainee beneficiaries to be women, Dalits, or disadvantaged groups, of which at least 50% were to be women, and at least 25% to be Dalits. Targeting by social group and raising the awareness of participating institutions about gender equity and social inclusion have helped address poverty and exclusion. Some 61,000 trainees had completed training at the end of the project period. From the tracer study conducted in 2012, over 61% of graduates obtained employment within a year, with women constituting 53% of the employed population. This exceeded the overall target of 50% employment within one year of graduation. Female graduates obtained employment within the year, roughly in proportion to their participation rates.

1 2

Compiled by Imrana Jalal, Senior Social Development Specialist (Gender), ADB The World Bank. 2011. World Development Report 2012 Gender Equality and Development. Washington, D.C.

Women were found to be employed mostly in agriculture and animal husbandry (36%), followed by beauty therapy/hand embroidery (29%), hotel management and tourism (13%), and the engineering sector (22%). Mens employment was the highest in the engineering sector (62%). Of the female graduates who were employed, 63% had an income of more than US$60 (Rs. 6,000) per month. The project had difficulty in attracting women to training areas that have traditionally been dominated by men, such as that of masonry, carpentry, and the electrical and plumbing trades. As well as encouraging women to enter these trades, the enabling environment has to be created by changing the values and attitudes of the society through awareness and sensitization activities Notwithstanding the difficulties of gender segregated employment in Nepal, of particular interest is that the project enabled one woman to become the first female plumber in Nepal, and over 22% of female graduates found employment in the engineering sector, a labor market industrial sector historically closed to women. This was achieved through better industry and school linkages in which concerted efforts were made to give all graduates industry placements and internships as part of the TVET training course. The projects post-training support program ensured linkages to the job market and ensured that the trainees gained employment. Performance based contracts were focused on an increased employment rate during the first 3 to 6 months after the completion of the training, under which technical training providers (TTPs) were given a bonus (a certain % of the contract) if they were able to make placements for the trainees. This triggered increased employment for both women and men. The placements increased the possibility of future permanent employment in the organizations that participated in the placement arrangements. The strategy included using district officers and staff of selected NGOs/CBOs and training providers who were trained on the GCE-sensitization module. This assisted in the identification of industry placement and employment opportunities suitable for members of the groups. This project will open new doors for Nepali women and enable some to gain work that pays better wages.
See feature article and read Sumitra Shresthas story. Sumitra is the only female plumber in Nepal. View project documents including the Project Completion Report and Gender Caste and Ethnic Strategy (p.33).
The views expressed in this paper are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), or its Board of Governors, or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The countries listed in this paper do not imply any view on ADB's part as to sovereignty or independent status or necessarily conform to ADB's terminology.