Recognizing this gap, the Nepal Government with support from the Swiss Government has been strengthening systems that formally validate and certify skills regardless of how they are acquired. Swisscontact in Nepal through The Nepal Vocational Qualifications System Project (NVQS-P) has played a key role in advancing the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) approach, a process that assesses and certifies skills gained through experience, enabling workers to access recognition, mobility, and create opportunities.
Within this broader effort, co-funding scheme has emerged as a key innovation, a collaborative financing model that brings province and local governments into shared ownership of skill certification and helps embed RPL within Nepal’s federal governance system for its's sustainability.
RPL shifts the focus from training alone to the validation of competencies acquired through experience and diverse learning pathways.
Through RPL, workers undergo standardized assessments and receive nationally recognized certificates aligned with occupational standards. Certification provides practical advantages, such as formal recognition of skills gained informally, improved employment prospects and earning potential, and access to further education and training pathways. This approach is especially relevant in Nepal, where large numbers of workers in construction, agriculture, hospitality, and service sectors possess strong practical skills and competencies but lack formal credentials.
By decentralizing implementation through co-funding for this initiative, skill testing has increasingly reached communities beyond major cities.
The co-funding process combined policy coordination with local implementation.
Province ministries initiated discussions and encouraged municipalities to allocate budgets for skills mapping and testing. Formal tripartite agreements were then established among CTEVT at provinces, province government authorities, and local governments. These agreements clarified roles: technical oversight from national institutions, coordination at the provincial level, and candidate mobilization and logistical support from municipalities.
Local officials received training on RPL procedures and digital data systems, enabling them to register applicants directly and manage implementation locally. Outreach campaigns helped identify skilled workers, followed by counseling sessions, assessments, and certification ceremonies recognizing successful candidates.
This structured process not only delivered certification services but also strengthened institutional capacity across governance levels.
Many municipalities actively mobilized candidates and supported participation through transportation arrangements and local outreach. In Gandaki Province, for example, local governments adapted quickly when public transport disruptions affected candidate mobility, arranging alternative travel solutions to ensure participation.
Private sector actors also contributed at the community level by assisting with outreach and application processes, demonstrating how localized partnerships can expand programmes reach.
The Nepal Vocational Qualifications System Project (NVQS-P) is a bilateral initiative of the Government of Nepal and the Government of Switzerland. The project is implemented by the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT) through the National Skill Testing Board (NSTB) at the federal, and the Ministry of Social Development and other education-related ministries at the provinces. Swisscontact provides technical assistance on behalf of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC.