Construction remains a largely male-dominated trade, yet Purni has worked her way from construction helper to mason to contractor. For most of that journey, though, there was a gap between what she could do and what she could formally prove. Her story shows why Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) matters, and how it is changing the way skills are valued in Nepal.
Purni never had the chance to attend school or enroll in formal vocational training. Like many workers in Nepal's informal economy, she entered the workforce early, starting as a helper on construction sites.
The work was physically demanding, but Purni did more than carry materials. She looked at the skilled workers around her, asked questions, and gradually took on more technical tasks. The construction site became her classroom. Over time, her responsibilities grew alongside her skills, and she moved from helper to mason, eventually taking on contracts and managing her own teams.
For millions of workers, practical experience is the primary source of their skills. People learn through jobs, apprenticeships, family businesses, migration, and years of practice. But without formal certification, that skill and knowledge often remain hidden to employers and the wider labour market.
This is the gap that the RPL is designed to close. RPL is a process through which a person's skills and competencies, gained through formal, non-formal or informal learning, are assessed against occupational standards and certified. It allows people to demonstrate what they already know and have those skills formally recognised.
This distinction mattered to Purni. She did not need to learn masonry from scratch. She needed a route to have her existing skills assessed and certified.
For Purni, the certificate represented more than a document. It validated years of learning that had taken place in the workplaces, earned through experience.
The certification also strengthened how she presents herself professionally. In an industry where she had already spent years establishing her credibility, a nationally recognised certification gave her further strength as proof of her competence.
Purni's certification is part of a wider effort to make skills recognition accessible across Nepal. Swisscontact, through the Nepal Vocational Qualifications System Project (NVQS-P), a bilateral initiative of the Government of Nepal and the Government of Switzerland, is supporting the development of a national system to recognise skills and competencies, including those gained through informal and non-formal learning.
Skills assessment through RPL approach in Nepal has grown in scale since it was piloted in 2018. A total of 5,811 people has graduated until now, across a range of occupations.
Behind each number is a worker whose experience has been formally recognised. For women like Purni, that recognition carries weight: it challenges assumptions about who belongs in non-stereotypical trades.
That is the broader promise of skills recognition, to ensure that the skills and knowledge people build through any means is not overlooked. For workers like Purni, the journey may begin with a stack of bricks. With experience, determination, and recognition, those skills become the foundation for a stronger career and new opportunities.
The Nepal Vocational Qualifications System Project (NVQS-P) is a bilateral initiative of the Government of Nepal and the Government of Switzerland.