Kathmandu, August 14, 2017: Bikas Udhyami – a social innovation hub, has initiated ‘Young Development Entrepreneur Apprenticeship Program’. It is an opportunity for young Nepalese to gain experience in development by working together with a team of young and dynamic professionals and expanding one’s skill set. The 3-6-months long program is open for 20-30 years old Nepali youths who have recently graduated Bachelors or Masters degree and want to contribute in nation development.
Applicants for the program go through a rigorous selection process of screening of their application, an interview and a skills test. Based on screening results, in the supervision of mentors, they are assigned activities that align most to their areas of interest and future career plans. After that, the apprentices have to participate in their outreach activities, write a blog on their work, and join the Alumni Network.
Initiated in August 2016, this program aims to empower the new generation of Nepali development professionals by creating meaningful opportunities to learn and grow as young leaders. “We are focused on social innovation and seek to do development differently by using an entrepreneurial approach. It entails that we develop our own ideas and solutions to pressing development challenges through an iterative and adaptive process of testing and fine tuning,” shared Santosh Gartaula, CEO at Bikash Udhyami.
The program has successfully mentored 5 apprentices till now and is currently mentoring their new batch of 5 apprentices. Gartaula stresses that the team at Bikash Udhyami values quality over quantity. “We believe that the program fulfills a critical need as many young people lack essential skills needed to function well and be successful in a professional work environment. Here, the confidence and professionalism of our apprentices as well as their skill set is enhanced,” he expressed.
Most of the past apprentices of the program have been involved in the development of Bikash Udhyami’s products like www.nepalindata.com and www.padhnajane.com, among other ventures.
Applications for the program are open to anyone throughout the year, who meets the basic set of criteria set. For more details and to apply, visit Bikash Udhyami here.
The above photograph shows the 6th batch of apprentices. Courtesy: Bikas Udhyami
