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The Employment Fund (EF) was established in 2008 and is currently being operated by HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation Nepal under the agreement signed in 2011 between the Government of Nepal (GoN) and the Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation (SDC). EF is governed by the Employment Fund Steering Committee (EFSC) which is chaired by the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Education. The purpose of EF is to provide gainful employment to unemployed youths by imparting skills through private sector Training and Employment Service Providers (T&Es).
EF focuses primarily on providing short term market oriented skill trainings, as well as business and life skill training to unemployed, disadvantaged young women and men in order to link them to gainful employment after completion of the training. The project has national coverage and is implemented through private sector Training and Employment Service Providers (T&Es).
The purpose of establishing the Employment Fund was to promote private sector training provider to extend skills training to young people from disadvantaged groups that will lead them into gainful employment in national and international labour markets, to enhance the training and management capacities of private sector training providers so that they are able to deliver quality, outcome and incentive based market led vocational training and to establish EF as a model for funding Technical Education and Vocational Training (TEVT) for youths from disadvantaged groups that leads into gainful employment by attracting public and private sector investors into the fund. Trainees are between 16-40 year-old for female and 16-35 for male, are school drop-outs (below 10th class, i.e. below SLC) and come from economically poor backgrounds. A special focus is put on young women and men from disadvantaged groups, which means that they are not only economically poor, but they also suffer from caste/ethnic-based discrimination.
The Employment Fund Steering Committee (EFSC) is the governing body of the Employment Fund and ensures its operation as per EF Operating Guidelines.
The Secretariat manages the Employment Fund: it disburses funds as per the EF Operating Guidelines and approved by the Employment Fund Steering Committee (EFSC) in accordance with agreements signed.
The EF is open to all fund contributors from the private or public sector including donor organizations. Fund contributions are non-refundable grants to EF in line with EF Operating Guideline. |
