From Aspiring Engineer to Skilled Electrician
A migrant worker’s tale of struggle, ambition and accomplishments
Abdul Alam, 32, from Parsa district in the Madhesh Province of Nepal, dreamed of becoming an electrical engineer ever since he finished high school. He was encouraged by his peers who had chosen this career path and found some success.
Abdul believed that he too could achieve his goal and help his family escape the poverty trap they were in. However, due to the steep fees of local engineering colleges, he was forced to consider a different path.
In 2012, Abdul, then 22 years old, made a bold move to help his family pay off loans they had taken to buy their only property, a piece of farmland.
““I left my studies and flew to Malaysia to work for Delphi Packard Electric, a US-based company that supplied automotive wiring parts to top car manufacturers like Toyota. However, after four years of hard work, I realized that this job was not going to take me where I wanted to go and decided to return home,”
Back home, the conditions that had initially compelled him to seek foreign employment had not improved. Nepal’s economy was still recovering from the devastating 2015 earthquake, and youth unemployment remained high. Like over 1,700 other Nepali citizens who leave the country every day in pursuit of employment opportunities abroad, he reluctantly accepted a job in an airport in Saudi Arabia where he was involved in wiring and repairs. Unfortunately, the job did not work out too, and due to unforeseen family circumstances, he was compelled to return home after a mere 18 months.
“After that, I made the decision to stay in Nepal for good this time and concentrate on our family farm. I began using a harvesting machine I had acquired with my savings to cultivate the land, as well as rent it out. With the support of my family members, I eventually got married,” Abdul shares.
But Abdul refused to give up on his dreams and was determined to find a way to make them a reality. So, even though he was unable to become an electrical engineer, he resolved to become a certified electrician and work his way up the ladder. This was, after all, what he had been doing throughout his time working abroad. He actively sought out such opportunities, and in 2022, he learned from one of his friends that UNDP’s SKILLS Programme, which is implemented by the Ministry of Education, Science & Technology in response to the COVID 19 pandemic, was planning to reskill and upskill returnee migrant workers like him (with a particular emphasis on women and marginalized groups) and support their transition to employment, hence ultimately facilitating their successful reintegration into society. Consequently, Abdul enrolled in a month-long training program and became a certified building electrician later that year.
“The training not only gave me additional practical skills and thorough technical knowledge of what I was already doing, but it also renewed my hope and confidence in myself,” Abdul explains. He mentions that he is presently employed as an assistant electrician by a contractor who pays him Rs 17,000 a month in addition to food and accommodation for his services. With the combined income from his wife’s job as a school teacher, the earnings generated from their farmland, and Abdul’s salary, they have been able to cover their expenses and provide support for their family of five, including their infant son and Abdul’s parents.
The training Abdul received was followed by a two-day post-career counseling program designed to empower returnee migrant workers (RMWs) like him with essential skills for securing employment and establishing their own businesses. Subsequently, Abdul and his mates received equipment support and successfully completed the skill test administered by the National Skill Testing Board. A total of 1,394 trained RMWs, including Abdul, passed this skill test.
“I believe that with the right support and training, it is possible for returnee migrant workers to reintegrate into society and thrive in their respective fields,” Abdul assures.
According to official statistics, a significant proportion of Nepalese migrant workers (80%) who venture abroad fall within the prime employment age bracket of 16 to 40 years. Upon their return, these individuals require specialized training to enhance and adapt the skills they acquired overseas to the Nepali market.
Abdul is one of the 1,612 RMWs to receive Level 1 skills training in ‘Building Electrician’ through the UNDP SKILLS Programme’s “Enhancing RMW Skills for Employment” project that was funded by the European Union in Nepal and the British Council Nepal/Dakchyat Project. This comprehensive training encompassed 11 occupations across three vital sectors: Agriculture, Construction, and Tourism. It was delivered by both public and private training providers and covered 48 municipalities and rural municipalities in Madhesh and Lumbini Provinces. Notably, out of the 1,612 RMWs who successfully completed the training, 64 were women, 1,548 were men, and 8 were persons with disabilities.
Currently, UNDP is conducting a tracer study in Madhesh and Lumbini Provinces to assess the employment and entrepreneurship outcomes of these trained RMWs, with a focus on measuring employability, satisfaction levels, and employment rates. Initial findings from the study reveal 68% of the interviewed workers in Lumbini and 68.5% in Madhesh are currently employed or engaged in self-employment or entrepreneurship.
Meanwhile, Abdul says that his future plans involve pursuing further training in this particular field, specifically aiming to obtain a Level 2 training certificate, with the ultimate goal of securing a civil service position.
Abdul’s journey from a migrant worker to a skilled electrician shows the power of resolve and resilience, and how support from programs like the UNDP’s SKILLS Project can make a real difference in the lives of young people with big dreams but limited resources.
Story by Anand Gurung, UNDP/SKILLS
