Duration of Support:
01.05.2008 – 30.10.2011

Current Budget:
CHF 1’500’000

Implementing Agency:
Helvetas and will act as the Secretariat of the existing Employment Fund (EF)

Partners:
Ministry of Education (MoE), Ministry of Finance (MoF), EF Secretariat, Fund contributors/donors including Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), private sector organisations such as franchisees, training providers, Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FNCCI), Federation of Nepalese Cottage & Small Industry (FNCSI), disadvantaged youth, conflict victims and National Skill Testing Board (NSTB)

Office Location:
Kathmandu, Nepal

Project Working Area:
SDC contribution is limited to Swiss Cluster Districts and contribution from other donors covers whole country

Summary

The EYF project focuses on skill training and employment of young people and on the consolidation and institutionalisation of the EF. Based on the experiences of implementing the Franchising-Skill (F-Skill) project, SDC and Helvetas initiated the EF effective from January 2007.The fund is open to all donors. EF is a mechanism for pooled funding. The mechanism is set up under the bilateral agreement between the Government of Nepal (MoE) and SDC. Department for International Development (DfID) has contributed its fund in the EF along with SDC and World Bank (WB) is preparing to contribute the fund in the EF through its “Adolescent Girls Initiatives”.

EF purchases services from the training providers on impact financing modality. The concept of the fund provides a great opportunity for donor harmonisation in the vocational skill training and employment sub-sector. The fund has been able to stimulate the vocational skill development market and attract private and public investor into the fund. EF provides incentives to bring economically poor and socially discriminated youth into training and employment through differential pricing mechanism. The fund contributors have the options of earmarking fund flows for the target group of their choice.

The EYF project will basically operate in the same modality as previously. Through the Employment Fund, youth from economically poor and socially discriminated groups will be offered skills training through Training and Employment Organisations (T&E), who will also support young people to get into gainful employment.

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