The Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Security has taken forward the process of making the pre-departure orientation training, which is mandatory for workers before going for foreign employment, completely online.

Labor Minister Deepak Kumar Shah, in a meeting held at the Ministry of Labor on Sunday, directed to prepare an action plan and take the necessary process to implement it. He has also directed to make arrangements to make audio-visual materials based on the pre-departure orientation training curriculum available on digital media.

After the employer company has granted the visa, contract period and is medically fit, every worker has to physically attend the designated orientation training center for two days and 12 hours. The final labor permit is issued only after completing this class.

Foreign Employment Board Executive Director Dwarika Upreti said that they will study to take the orientation training to an online system. 'This class is held to provide general information about the destination country to workers going for foreign employment.' Currently, workers have to pay to take this class,' Upreti said, 'The Labor Minister is in favor of making it possible to get information online for free. Where are the existing laws, acts, rules, and directives hindering this? We will move forward after studying this.'

According to the Foreign Employment Regulations, workers going abroad must be provided with orientation training on topics such as pre-trip preparation, use of information technology, measures to avoid potential risks and accidents, information on insurance and welfare funds, the role of agencies related to foreign employment, contact and coordination agencies in case of problems in the destination country, a dignified selection process and cost fees, minimum health status and health check-ups, reintegration programs, sending remittances through formal channels, mobile banking and online banking services, affiliation to the Social Security Fund and security plans, occupational health and safety, stress management, mental health counseling, and social issues. The board has already prepared a curriculum to address this issue.

An official at the Nepali embassy in the Gulf says that it is still necessary to provide physical orientation to workers. ‘Not all workers are capable of understanding the subject digitally.’ Workers coming here are under the burden of double contracts. They are not even able to understand their own contracts. Such issues will also have to be looked into,’ the official said.

Clusters have been set up based on the country where workers are going for foreign employment. In which Malaysia, Gulf countries, Japan and South Korea, Israel, Turkey, Cyprus and other countries are being trained by forming separate clusters.