Bhutan will soon get its first national human resources and development policy, which will set the pace for human resource development (HRD) and also put in place systems for the development of skills required by the country.

The policy, developed by the ministry of labour and human resources (MoLHR), still in draft form, will be submitted to the cabinet next week for approval. “It’s a very important and forward-looking policy and will build our human resources capacity in consonance with our long term development and economic plans,” said labour minister, Lyonpo Dorji Wangdi.

The do*****ent is also based on the Constitution and important policy do*****ents, among others, Vision 2020, DPT manifesto, 10th five-year plan and the draft economic policy.

The policy has the vision to shift from an agrarian to a knowledge-based society, going from low to high skill and knowledge, focus on technical, professional and vocational skills, with stress on employability and the aim to be proactive, dynamic and inclusive.

The policy aims to create qualified people, conducive to Bhutan’s development and in line with labour demands, study the labour market and do projections, strengthen HRD institutions and plan for new ones, and develop HRD professionals.

The minister said the policy would aim to resolve the main reason for unemployment in Bhutan, which was a mismatch between the skills needed and jobs available.

“Right now, parents are happy sending their children to college, without knowing what skills are required in Bhutan,” said the MoLHR human resources department director, Sonam Rinchen. He said the problem without a policy right now was a surplus of arts and humanities students and a shortage of graduates with science and math backgrounds.

“For example, one of our main economic aims is to develop Bhutan as a tourist and health destination and hydropower generator and, accordingly, the policy will see what’s needed in the jobs field to fulfill theses requirements, and also get youth employed,” said the director.

The do*****ent covers higher education, vocational training, civil service, corporate and private sectors and development of HRD professionals.

It says that higher education needs to focus on regional requirement, as Bhutan’s demand for skilled labour is limited. In this regard, the college of science and technology and Jigme Dorji polytechnic have been identified for upgrading infrastructure and courses.

It encourages foreign and domestic educational institutes and asks for higher education to be given industry status for quicker development, while recommending business and hotel management institutes, along with a medical college. The do*****ent also calls for strengthening vocational education system in the country, having it in schools, improving the syllabus and determining occupational standards and accreditation.

The policy also calls for in-service training of 40 hours per year and strengthening of the royal institute of management. It says that ex-country training should focus on doctoral and specialised slots, and also for HRD professionals to build in-country capacity.

The agencies have also been assigned their roles in developing the policy.

The labour ministry will carry out vocational training and development of employees in corporations and private sector, education ministry for primary and secondary education policy, RUB for higher education, RCSC for capacity building and HRD and REC as a think tank.

The policy will be implemented through an inter-ministerial coordination committee, with coordination responsibility with MoLHR. There will also be a monitoring and evaluation system with policy review every five years.

The minister said that the main impact of the report will be on unemployment. since in a decade around 60 percent of the population will be below the age 29. The policy will also provide for an annual HRD advisory series, which will help students to take up courses in which they could get jobs, according to the director.

The do*****ent also shows that the main prospect for employment will be in the private sector with 4,925 private companies planning to expand, compared to just 33 corporations.

93,000 jobs to be generated in 10th FYP
Unemployment 1.4% in 2001 to 3.7% in 2007
63% job vacancy in pvt sector vs 24% in govt, 2009
21.83% workforce is foreign
6,970 class 10 & 12 students to join workforce in 2009

Source: Kuenselonline