A total of 11 youths have successfully completed a three-month-long Traditional Weaving in Hor conducted by Royal Textile Academy, Thimphu today. The closing ceremony was graced by Director General, Department of Employment and Entrepreneurship. This Institute Certificate program is a part of the Skills Development Program (SDP) of the Ministry of Labor and Human Resources.

All the training participants were new to weaving when they started the program. During the course of the training, the participants were trained on weaving knowledge and skills on natural dyeing process, yarn and warp preparation, weaving of the crosshatches such as 3 crosshatches (Bi-sumpa), 5 crosshatches (Bi-Ngapa), 9 crosshatches (Bi-Gupa). The skills they acquired through the training could be seen from some of their weavings which were on display.

After the completion of the training program, participants were also provided with the Basic Entrepreneurship Course to promote creativity and innovation, to provide business ideas and start up business for self-employment and to create employment opportunities.

The SDP is to mitigate the socio-economic impacts caused by the pandemic, respond to the challenges posed by pandemic and to enhance the country’s economic resilience in the post-pandemic situation. The SDP program is also envisioned to benefit job seekers, laid-off workers, overseas returnees, and those affected by the current pandemic. More than 108 skilling areas in nine priority sectors are identified for implementation under the SDP in various public institutes and training centres.