Master in Technical and Vocational Education and Training

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has been recognized as a powerful tool for national development and for providing individuals with decent jobs leading to a quality life. The sector is integral for developing a workforce necessary to improve production and service sectors in any country. Recognizing these potentials, countries worldwide have been investing in the growth of the TVET sector. International efforts are also being made to strengthen TVET.

In countries like Nepal, the TVET sector has not yet thrived or made the anticipated contributions. This remains a distant reality for many developing countries. Various factors contribute to this low performance, including low economic activity, a lack of jobs, low-quality education within the TVET sector, and insufficient leadership and management capabilities. Therefore, it is essential to intervene in the sector to ensure it contributes to national development as expected. One crucial area of intervention is developing the human resource capacity of the sector, focusing on both educational and socioeconomic aspects. The Master in Technical and Vocational Education (MTVET) program at Kathmandu University's School of Education is an effort in this direction and was introduced in August 2018.

The rationale for this program is supported by the growing TVET interventions in Nepal and other countries. In Nepal, investment in the sector has increased substantially in recent years. Government policies have emphasized the development of the sector and introduced several related programs, such as incorporating TVET as a stream at the secondary level. Private sector investment in TVET is also growing. Competent human resources are crucial for the effective functioning of TVET in secondary education and other sectors. The expanding production and service sectors in the country are creating a demand for skilled and competent human resources. International development partners working in Nepal are active and plan to increase their investment in the sector.

The federalization of Nepal, creating 753 rural and urban municipalities with the constitutional right to plan, implement, and manage developmental activities within their jurisdictions, including school-level education (TVET included), is generating immense demand for skilled human resources. These developments provide a strong rationale for initiating the Master in Technical and Vocational Education (MTVET) program at Kathmandu University's School of Education. Several rounds of formal and informal discussions with the government, private sector, and prospective students have established that such a program is an urgently felt need.

A systematic research study was conducted to assess the feasibility of the program, which reported a very positive response regarding its necessity.

Purpose of MTEVT Program

• Address the human resource development needs of TVET
• Prepare TVET system leaders, educators, and planners
• Attract young ones to TVET by linking it with socio-economic processes thereby providing promising career prospects nationally and internationally
• Develop TVET focused research capacity
• Promote excellence, opportunity, and leadership in TVET

MTVET graduates develop the following specific knowledge and skills: 

• Be able to explore and interpret the interplay among social institutions and rules and resources, work and occupation, and TVET
• Be competent educators, innovators, leaders, and managers of TVET institutions/programs
• Be competent in preparing TVET activities such as preparation of competency-based curriculum, designing instructional events, delivering theoretical and practical sessions, evaluation of students.
• Be proficient in doing economics and financial analysis of work and occupations, and TVET.
• Be conversant with different theories, concepts, and ideas that have been developed and see TVET processes in terms of those theories and ideas
• Be capable of in engaging TVET process e.g. policy dialogue, networking
• Be skillful in designing, carrying out, managing, and evaluating research on TVET
• Be able to understand, design, implement, and monitor quality assurance process