Building Skills and Resilience in Fragile Contexts

Myanmar is a country of coincidences and contrasts. It’s a place where immense natural resources and human potential coexist with deep fragility and conflict. The protracted crisis since 2021 has profoundly disrupted education systems, labor markets and access to livelihood opportunities. Yet amid these challenges, Helvetas and its partners continue to demonstrate that investing in people, especially young people, remains one of the most powerful ways to foster resilience, dignity and hope.

A holistic approach to skills and employment

Since 2013, Helvetas’ approach in Myanmar has been rooted in flexibility and local partnerships. Recognizing the country’s fragility and ongoing conflicts, Helvetas designs programs that respond to local needs while promoting sustainable livelihood opportunities. This is achieved through initiatives that work to strengthen both the supply and demand sides of the skills ecosystem, such as the Skills for Employment project (S4E), the Skills for Community Resilience and Empowerment project (SCORE), and the South-East Education and Employment Opportunities project (SEEO).

The S4E project strengthens Myanmar’s informal apprenticeship tradition by transforming it into a structured, competency-based and workplace-oriented training system that expands opportunities for disadvantaged youth. By training local instructors in modern pedagogy and assessment, building a trusted network of employers and trainers, and introducing modular and blended learning, the project ensures access even during periods of insecurity. At the same time, S4E supports small and medium-sized businesses through grants, mentoring and business development services that encourage enterprise growth, better management practices and job creation. With more than 640 trainees completing vocational skills development training, 87 advancing through modular courses, and over 100 youth launching businesses with start-up grants, S4E demonstrates how skills, enterprise support and local partnerships drive employment and strengthen local economies in fragile environments.

The complementary SCORE project strengthens local systems to deliver non-formal education, vocational skills and entrepreneurship training. It also expands access to digital platforms for job matching and career guidance, and supports self-employment by building the capacity of local training centers (called Business Service Organizations). The project aims to equip disadvantaged youth with market-relevant skills through the development of six demand-driven curricula. It also provides training of trainers pedagogy and assessment, and ensures financial access for vulnerable learners through an equity fund. By combining community-based training, entrepreneurship support and digital learning, SCORE enhances youth employability and strengthens resilient, locally rooted skills ecosystems.

The SEE project also works to create and expand livelihood opportunities, but with a focus on a particularly vulnerable population: youth living in 35 camps for internally displaced people. The project combines vocational skills training with life skills coaching, safer-migration awareness and targeted enterprise support. After conducting rapid labor market assessments, the project offered training in occupations such as motorbike repair, tailoring, hair and facial treatments, rubber production and food processing. Soft skills and digital literacy were also components of all training. A pilot model enabled 25 small-to-medium-sized local businesses to train 254 youth through on-the-job learning, leading to 48 wage-earning jobs and more than 150 youth starting their own enterprises with seed grants. SEE also helped establish a local employment agency in Mon State to improve job matching and expand opportunities beyond the camps. Ultimately, the project shows that even in highly insecure and displacement-affected settings, an integrated approach to skills, coaching and enterprise support can restore income, dignity and future prospects for young people.

These initiatives collectively reflect a holistic understanding that skills development must go beyond technical competencies. Helvetas integrates non-formal education, life skills and digital literacy into its programs, equipping young people to navigate complex and rapidly changing environments. Life skills such as communication, problem-solving and adaptability enable youth to respond to uncertainty, while entrepreneurial and social skills foster resilience, initiative and leadership.

Programs tailored to this context

Helvetas’ programs in Myanmar employ a variety of approaches tailored to the fragile and conflict-affected environment. Workplace-based learning and on-the-job training link education directly to real-life income opportunities. Results-based financing incentivizes trainers to deliver quality programs that lead to measurable employment outcomes. Engagement with the private sector ensures that the skills taught are aligned with labor market demand, enhancing both relevance and sustainability.

Digital and blended learning methods complement traditional training, allowing participants to study at their own pace and to apply lessons even when travel is unsafe or restricted due to conflict. By integrating non-formal education and life skills, into technical training, participants gain the tools to navigate complex realities, communicate effectively, manage finances, and exercise leadership. Entrepreneurship support further empowers youth to establish small businesses, promoting self-reliance, economic diversification, and sustainable livelihoods.

Programs are designed with contextual relevance at their core, accounting for local security conditions, cultural norms, and community structures. By partnering with local civil society organizations, training centers, and business associations, Helvetas ensures programs are both accessible and trusted. The approach is also flexible, adapting to new challenges such as displacement, local economic shifts, or emerging livelihood opportunities, while maintaining a focus on empowering marginalized groups.

Bridging emergency response and skills for recovery

Helvetas also integrates skills interventions with emergency response and medium-term recovery. Following acute humanitarian crises, including natural disasters like earthquakes, the organization collaborates with local partners to support both relief and reconstruction.

Key initiatives include building earthquake-resistant houses and sanitation facilities, reconstructing partially damaged structures, and training construction workers and households in safe building techniques. Local materials are prioritized to stimulate the regional economy, while technical support strengthens community capacity to maintain resilient infrastructure. At the same time, targeted cash assistance addresses urgent needs such as food, water, hygiene products and medical care.

Medium-term recovery efforts include revitalizing livelihoods by supporting small farmers with seeds and guidance, providing training for artisans and tradespeople in earthquake-resilient construction, and generating income through clean-up or reconstruction work. Vulnerable groups, including single women and people with disabilities, are explicitly included in all activities. This bridge between emergency response and medium-term support highlights the potential of skills programming to reinforce both human dignity and economic resilience in fragile environments.

Stories of resilience

The impact of Helvetas’ skills interventions becomes most tangible through the experiences of program participants, who navigate conflict, displacement and economic uncertainty with resilience.

“I am grateful for this training. It has allowed me to stand on my own feet,” said single mother Pyae Pyae Phyo.

With the project’s support, Pyae launched a home-based tailoring business and encouraged her son to pursue beauty training, demonstrating the intergenerational impact of skills development.

Another program participant who was previously employed as a security guard reflected, “I can be proud of myself due to unexpected changes and provide a lot of support for my mother’s expenses. So, don’t be afraid to change.” Transitioning into a junior stylist role, he gained a higher income, professional confidence and a renewed sense of opportunity.

The entrepreneurship training also empowered youth to start businesses that sustain their communities. “I’ve always dreamed of having my own business, but I didn’t know where to start,” said Myo Si Thu Aung. “The training gave me the skills and confidence I needed to make that dream come true.” Myo opened a motorcycle repair shop in Mon State, demonstrating how skills and market knowledge can translate into sustainable livelihoods.

Another program participant, who is a single mother, said, “After the training I invested in a sewing machine and started my own shop. Now I can stand on my own feet and support my family.”

These narratives highlight the role of skills interventions in fostering financial independence, resilience and agency. Digital learning platforms have further extended these opportunities, allowing participants to continue their education even in remote or insecure areas. One young tailor emphasized, “Learning online gave me the flexibility to study at my own pace and practice at home, even when travel was impossible due to conflict.”

Lessons for working in fragile contexts

Helvetas’ experience in Myanmar provides actionable lessons for other programs operating in fragile or conflict-affected environments:

• Go beyond technical skills. Technical competencies alone are insufficient in fragile contexts. Integrating life skills, social skills and entrepreneurial training helps participants navigate complex labor markets, adapt to uncertainty and make strategic decisions for sustainable livelihoods.
• Prioritize contextual relevance. Programs must be grounded in local realities. Flexibility in design, sensitivity to security and cultural norms, and partnerships with trusted local actors ensure programs are accessible, inclusive and effective – particularly for marginalized populations.
• Adopt market-oriented and results-based approaches. Linking training to employment outcomes motivates trainers and ensures accountability. Engaging with the private sector guarantees that the skills taught are aligned with labor market needs, increasing participants’ chances of securing sustainable work or establishing viable businesses.
• Leverage digital learning thoughtfully. Digital and blended learning platforms expand reach and provide flexible access to training, especially in conflict-affected or remote areas. Effective implementation requires investment in capacity-building for trainers, integration with face-to-face methods, and attention to accessibility challenges.
• Foster community and intergenerational impact. Skills interventions can benefit entire families and communities. Supporting participants to start businesses or gain employment strengthens local economies, promotes social cohesion and empowers others to participate in education or training opportunities.

Collectively, these lessons underscore the importance of adaptive, contextually relevant skills programming that builds resilience, dignity and opportunity in fragile environments. They also highlight approaches that can inform actors working in other countries facing crisis or protracted instability.

About the Authors

Dr. Prabin Manandhar is the Country Director at Helvetas Myanmar and the former Country Director of Helvetas Nepal.

Ne Chye Thwin is the Skills Development Advisor at Helvetas Myanmar.