Kathmandu. IME Group and IXI Corp have launched Kathmandu Technical School to meet the demand for skilled manpower in the job market.
Minister for Labor, Employment and Social Security Sharad Singh Bhandari inaugurated the school at a special function organized on the premises of Kathmandu Technical School in Dhumbarahi, Kathmandu on Tuesday. The school will conduct training in more than three dozen employment-oriented and self-employment-oriented disciplines including hospitality, culinary arts, care giving, barista, bar tending, etc. The school aims to produce more than 100,000 skilled manpower and professionals in the next decade.
In its two and a half decade professional journey, IME Group has operated many industries and projects in the banking and financial sector, insurance, tourism and hospitality, tourism infrastructure, hydropower, manufacturing, and other sectors.
More than 25,000 people have found direct employment in the companies under IME Group. The group has also helped to make the same or more self-employed. IXI Corp is working in the areas of alternative investment, alternative energy, alternative education, technology and public policy.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Minister Bhandari said that the government has prioritized partnerships with the private sector as only a combination of skills, employment, entrepreneurship and capital can solve the problems of unemployment and poverty. He said that the production of technical manpower is a priority for the government.
Minister Bhandari said that the government is ready to support the private sector in skill development and production of technical manpower. He said that since skills are needed for domestic employment, self-employment and foreign employment, the government will move forward in collaboration with the private sector in producing skilled manpower.
Chairman of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and IME Group Chandra Prasad Dhakal said that with the formal operation of this Kathmandu Technical School, IME Group has now moved forward in the field of producing technical manpower. He expressed confidence that this school will play an important role in providing employment or self-employment to thousands of additional youth. ‘We expect this school, which was established with the aim of starting a new era in technical and vocational education in Nepal, to make a positive contribution, especially to employment, education, society and the overall economy,’ he said. ‘We have set a target of producing more than 100,000 skilled manpower and professionals in the next decade. For this, this school will conduct training in more than three dozen employment-oriented and self-employment-oriented disciplines.’
Dhakal said that the government should also encourage and support the establishment and operation of technical schools and training centers. Stating that the biggest challenge facing Nepal at present is unemployment and youth exodus, he said that skill development is the solution to this. ‘Even if you do not want to be employed or self-employed in your country and want to go abroad, if you have skills, you will be able to get good jobs and high wages or salaries. This will also have a positive impact on the amount of remittances received by the country at present. Our goal is to intervene in such matters and equip the youth with skills,’ he said.
Kathmandu Technical School (KTS) Chairman Manoj Poudel said that the school inaugurated today will help in achieving the government’s goal of producing 100,000 skilled manpower in the next ten years. He also said that KTS aims to provide world-class training and education to the youth. ‘This school will not only prepare them for employment abroad, but will also create various opportunities within Nepal,’ he said.
Poudel said that KTS has adopted a policy of collaborating with local and national industries as well as international partners to enable its students to compete on the global stage. Representatives from the Nepalese government, private sector, foreign diplomatic missions and donor agencies, and other stakeholders were present at the program.
