By Investing in Technical Training, a Brighter Future Beckons for the Youth of Bhutan

By Asian Development Bank

October 8^th, 2024

Khuruthang Technical Training Institute (TTI)

As a young man in Bhutan, Bhim Bahadur Chhetri (left) started his working life as an accountant, but it didn’t stick.

“I was doing accounting for the last seven months of 2023,” he says.

“What I thought was, without experience, I will not get a good salary. So, I thought ‘if I have the knowledge and experience, I will get the perfect job, and the salary will be good’.”

So, he decided to take his career down a different path.

In February 2024, Bhim, 21, moved from Phuentsholing on the southern border with India to Punakha in central west Bhutan to enroll at the Khuruthang Technical Training Institute (TTI).

There, he became one of nine students to begin the country’s first ever dedicated course in computer numerical control (CNC is taught in one other campus in Bhutan, but as part of a broader electrical engineering program).

By Investing in Technical Training, a Brighter Future Beckons for the Youth of Bhutan

Here, on this campus in the quiet Bhutanese countryside surrounded by majestic mountains, the students are learning precision engineering skills which will qualify them for a range of jobs, particularly in the country’s burgeoning hydropower industry. Using a combination of turning and milling machines, the students are learning to shape mild steel, nylon, and aluminum into nuts, bolts, and gears.

The course has been funded by the Asian Development Bank as part of a focus on technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in Bhutan, a key priority for this Himalayan country, where youth unemployment is close to 28%, according to 2023 figures. Bhutan is also beset by a steady “brain drain” of professionals and young people moving abroad, particularly Australia, to study and further their careers.

Since 2018, ADB has invested about $47 million in TVET here in Bhutan, which is helping to train thousands of students in critical skills that can be applied toward a range of potential careers.

“Bhutan has to rely on imported labor from India for many of our technical jobs,” says Tshering Zam of ADB’s Bhutan Resident Mission. “The goal of ADB’s investment in TVET is to equip students with these important market-relevant skills that can enable them to build productive and rewarding careers that contribute to the economic growth here in Bhutan.”

The teacher of this groundbreaking program in Khuruthang, Johan Larsson, moved to Bhutan from Sweden to take up his position. He says he has been impressed with the way Bhim and his colleagues have applied themselves to the program. “Most of the students here have very strong aspirations. They are hard working and very respectful,” he says. “For most of the students, they seem grateful that they're allowed to come here, to be given the opportunity to learn new technical and soft skills.”

In an early sign of success for the program, the incoming class for 2025 will expand to between 12 and 15 students, says Khuruthang TTI Principal Lobzang Dorji (below).

Samthang Technical Training Institute

Another TTI benefiting from ADB’s support is TTI Samthang, located just south of Punakha. ADB is contributing about $2.9 million for the construction of a new dining hall and a new home for the creative arts department, which will allow it to offer new disciplines such as hair and make-up, sound and lighting, film making, music production, and digital marketing.

Student Lodging at the Samthang Technical Training Instittute.

Simulation Training Machines

ADB’s support is already being felt, however, in a new program for earth-moving equipment operators. Trainees here are able to practice their skills on two new simulation machines provided three months ago by ADB.

One of the trainers here, Tandin Wangchuk, says the simulators are making the learning process much easier. Before the machines were introduced, students would begin their training in the classroom and then head outside to practice on actual excavators and heavy vehicles. The learning curve was steep, while operating the machines was costly and bad for the environment.

The introduction of the simulators is providing the trainees here with an easier and more efficient way to learn.

“ADB provided us with such help,” he says. “Having these simulators is an advantage for our Institute. Firstly, the fuel consumption is less and the trainees are fully engaged, whereas before in the field, students only got a few minutes each to practice on the real excavators and they needed to take turns.”

Sonam Wangchuk (no relation), 22, is one such trainee benefiting from these simulators.

“Seeing this machine for the first time, it felt difficult but gradually when we learn, it is interesting also,” says Sonam, who wants to start his own business one day. “The faculty is very supportive. There are also two-to-three theory classes before the practical class starts. For students to gain hands-on training, they also send us to on-the-job training. There is so much opportunity here.”

In addition to the equipment, ADB has also financed $1.8 million for the construction of basic infrastructure at Samthang, including lodging for the students, which Sonam says is “like a 3-star hotel” compared to the living conditions he’s used to.

Bajothang Higher Secondary School

ADB’s investment in TVET in Bhutan is not only for post-secondary students. The program has been extended to high school students who are taking up this training as early as Grade 9, creating a pipeline of up to five years of training for those students who go on to TTI-level.

On a recent Wednesday in Bajothang Higher Secondary School, a picturesque campus of almost 1,100 students, marked by trimmed hedges and neat pathways —and where framed motivational quotes hang from the walls—a class of Grade 9-10 students was a hive of activity as the students practiced their skills in filing, welding, and dry-cut sawing.

Tshering Zam from ADB says integrating TVET into high school curricula is vital for giving students hands-on experience with vocational skills. “It allows them to better understand various career options and make informed decisions about their future pathways,” she says.

Bhim, the Khuruthang TTI student who is set to graduate in February 2025, considers himself fortunate. He says training opportunities like his are vital for the youth of Bhutan to find rewarding employment and live productive lives.

“We all need money to lead comfortable lives,” he says. “For that, we need a proper job. To get a proper job, we need to have relevant experience. For that, we need to have proper training. I want to share a message to the youth of Bhutan: if they are not qualified after Class 12, do not lose hope. TVET offers us opportunities for training, to learn important skills, to have good careers, and to reach our potential.”

Footnotes

Photos and Story by Neil Hickey

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FootNotes

Photos and Story by Neil Hickey