Kathmandu: In a significant move to promote ‘learning by earning’, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance the skills and apprenticeship opportunities for students of the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT).
The MoU aims to ensure that CTEVT students gain practical skills through workplace learning by being hired for projects under the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation in an apprenticeship model.
The agreement was signed on Thursday by Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Shakti Bahadur Basnet and Minister for Education, Science and Technology Sumana Shrestha.
Minister Shrestha emphasized the importance of equipping the workforce with the necessary skills to meet the demands of the labour market. “We can retain our youths in the country only by providing them employment,” she stated.
Minister Basnet highlighted the MoU’s role in fostering a labour culture and providing practical skills to students by integrating them into the workplace. He described the agreement as a milestone in connecting CTEVT students with real-world labor opportunities.
Kulman Ghising, Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), praised the performance of interns hired by the NEA for various projects and expressed optimism that such best practices would expand with effective implementation of the MoU.
Under the agreement, the Ministry of Education will develop relevant curricula, while the Ministry of Energy will provide economic support in accordance with the existing rules of the CTEVT.