Written by: Sagun Shrestha, Head of Education and Skills - Nepal
When the Dakchyata: TVET Practical Partnership programme was launched in Nepal in 2017, it set out to address a challenge that had long limited the effectiveness of the country’s technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector, namely the lack of meaningful collaboration between public and private stakeholders. Backed by funding from the European Union and implemented by the British Council in partnership with Nepal’s Council for Technical Education and Vocational training (CTEVT), Dakchyata aimed to support the country’s human capital and boost employment by reforming the way skills development was planned and delivered.
At the time, private sector involvement in TVET was mostly symbolic. Training was too theoretical, and there was very little industry exposure. During the baseline survey at the onset of the Dakchyata programme, almost half of the surveyed employers said they were not satisfied with the quality of TVET graduates. They didn’t feel the system was producing workers with the skills they needed and TVET was often seen as a last resort by young people. The sector was also heavily fragmented, with over a dozen government ministries involved and little coordination.
Human capital development through TVET for sustained economic growth and youth employment featured prominently in Nepal’s development plans and education policy. But what was missing was a mechanism to turn these high-level ambitions into practical actions, and this is where Dakchyata made its mark.
One of the programme’s most notable achievements was the creation of the TVET Public-Private Partnership Working Group – an unprecedented initiative in Nepal - bringing together equal representation from the public and private sectors. This platform fostered dialogue and co-created several policy guidance documents, which went on to inform Nepal’s first TVET Sector Strategic Plan (TSSP), now adopted as a ten-year roadmap for the sector.
The private sector, once disengaged and fragmented, also experienced a shift. Through sustained engagement, Dakchyata facilitated collaboration between five leading employer organisations to establish Nepal’s first Employer-led Labour Market Secretariat. These organisations had previously been competitors and they had no shared agenda around skills. However, through Dakchyata, they came together with a common purpose and the Secretariat continues to function today, well beyond the end of the programme.
This focus on long-term, system level reform, rather than short-term delivery meant Dakchyata’s impact went far beyond its implementation period. However, the programme still delivered tangible benefits for individuals and communities. Through pilot initiatives, more than 6,750 people completed certified training, with an 86 per cent pass rate in national skills testing. Public awareness campaigns reached over 9.3 million people, helping to reframe public perceptions of TVET. Before the campaign, only 21 per cent of young people surveyed believed TVET could lead to employment, and this figure rose to 78 per cent afterwards.
The programme also demonstrated agility. When the Covid-19 pandemic led to many Nepali migrant workers returning home from abroad, Dakchyata quickly adapted to support their reintegration into the domestic labour market. In collaboration with three UN agencies, the programme launched a component focused on upskilling these returnees, an intervention which was critical during a time of economic uncertainty.
Perhaps the most significant legacy of Dakchyata, however, lies in the shift in mindset it helped to foster. At the beginning, there was a certain level of mistrust, public institutions didn’t believe that the private sector would genuinely engage, and the private sector didn’t see the value in working with the government. Early workshops were full of finger pointing, but what Dakchyata did was slowly build a culture of collaboration. This shift in attitude, though subtle, was transformational, and the programme played a pivotal role in strengthening appreciation for the value of TVET partnerships. strengthening appreciation for the value of TVET partnerships.
The programme also highlighted important lessons for future initiatives. One was the need to adapt international best practices to the local context. While the UK’s employed-led TVET system provided inspiration, it quickly became clear that Nepal’s private sector needed more time and support before it could assume that level of leadership required. Another learning came from the public information campaign. While it effectively raised awareness, the team found that greater emphasis on career counselling, especially at the secondary school level, would be key to sustaining engagement and encouraging uptake. Green skills also emerged as a future priority. Although the programme embedded environmental awareness into its activities, the concept of green TVET was still relatively new in Nepal, requiring deeper investment and broader sectoral engagement.
Although the programme has now ended, its influence continues. The TVET Sector Strategic Plan (TSSP) is now guiding national policy, and quality assurance frameworks developed through Dakchyata are being adapted. Training institutions have formalised their engagement with employers and, perhaps most significantly, collaboration between government and industry is now viewed not as a formality, but as a foundation. It may seem like a simple thing but generating and fostering a culture of collaboration is the most valuable legacy and Dakchyata gave Nepal a platform for lasting change.