Government to Provide Online Orientation Training for Migrant Workers Before Departure

March 31, Kathmandu – The government has taken over the responsibility of providing orientation training to migrant workers before they leave the country.

Previously conducted by selected institutions, this training will now be organized through an online platform managed by the Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Security.

Since 2003 (Bikram Sambat 2060), pre-departure orientation training has been provided through designated institutions to workers going abroad for employment.

Currently, 153 registered institutions under the Department of Foreign Employment conduct these trainings. The National Vocational Training Institute in Bhainsepati has been providing this training to government-sponsored workers.

For other migrant workers, the training is offered by private orientation training providers. The ministry plans to develop curriculum-based visual materials and make them accessible digitally.

The Ministry of Labor is working on transitioning the Pre-Departure Orientation Training (PDOT) to a fully online system.

This government initiative, once implemented, is expected to put the future of the current 153 training institutions at risk. These institutions operate under the standards defined by the Foreign Employment Act 2064 and Orientation Training Operation Procedures 2076.

These institutions currently charge trainees 2,100 NPR per person. However, the Foreign Employment Department has set the fee at 700 NPR and warned that permits will be canceled if institutions collect more than this amount.

The government is preparing to fully digitize the orientation training as part of its 100-day action plan.

Labor Minister Deepak Kumar Sah explained that the orientation training will be completely conducted through digital platforms. A 15 to 16-hour video based on the curriculum will be produced and uploaded online, allowing workers to complete the training remotely.

“We will prepare a 15 to 16-hour video according to the curriculum, tailored for each destination country. Workers will be required to watch the relevant video based on their destination,” said Minister Sah. “There will be a system to measure the duration of video viewing, and online attendance will also be mandatory.”

The ministry plans to offer the training free of charge online, ensuring that no fees will be collected from the workers.

Currently, orientation training continues through the existing training providers, but once preparations are complete, the online system will be implemented. The ministry has also provided necessary instructions to the Foreign Employment Board.

However, this plan has raised concerns among training providers. Rajaram Gautam, Chairperson of the Foreign Employment Orientation Business Federation, stated that the government must address the future of legally established institutions.

“Perhaps the government no longer finds these laws necessary. We have even been asked to install cameras despite our considerable investments,” he questioned. “This is a major investment, and now such changes are being forced. What is the government’s strategy? What about the business community? This needs to be reviewed.”

He added, “Currently, approximately 1,000 to 1,200 jobs are being provided in this sector, with investments running into millions. The government appears to be aiming to undermine this sector. Without alternatives, even if the constitution guarantees the fundamental right to employment, what guarantees do we have for our employment and investments?”

Gautam raised concerns about the future of migrant workers, businesses, and their families.

He noted that the sector has been unstable since its inception, and recent government directions have led to millions in investments.

“Recently, many have taken loans to invest and are working according to government standards,” he stated. “Until now, the environment for education was in place, and there were plans to conduct it professionally, but those plans were never fully realized.”

The then Minister of Labor, Employment, and Social Security, Sarat Singh Bhandari, had amended the Orientation Training Operation Procedures 2076, increasing the fee from 700 NPR to 2,100 NPR in one installment and adding fees for language study and certification exams.

According to the new rates, a three-day training with mandatory language study and certification exams at the end was implemented.

However, training providers continued charging 2,100 NPR but only delivered two days of training following the old curriculum.

Following disputes, the department clarified on October 29, 2024 (Aswin 13, 2081 BS) via statement that the training fee remains at 700 NPR.

In 2018, a high-level Foreign Employment Reform Task Force chaired by then secretary Purnachandra Bhattarai reported an increasing trend of issuing certificates without actual training.

The report identified causes like lack of proper teaching materials, insufficient honesty among providers, ineffective monitoring, absence of learning assessment systems, and lack of an effective training tradition in destination countries.

Based on these findings, the Ministry of Labor revised and amended the orientation training curriculum on February 20, 2020 (Falgun 8, 2076).

Further amendments on September 24, 2023 (Ashoj 7, 2080) increased the training duration from two days (10 hours) to three days (18 hours) and categorized the training based on the nature of the destination country.

Now, the government is advancing the plan to provide orientation training online free of charge through training providers.