The De-suung Skilling Program (DSP) is a very important Royal Project initiated by His Majesty The King of Bhutan in 2021. As envisioned by His Majesty, DSP imparts a series of short-term high quality trainings to unemployed Bhutanese youths who have mostly completed high schools and are in their early or mid-20s. These youths have all undergone the De-suung training, which is a valued-based personal development program intended to encourage active citizenry in the process of nation-building.
De-suung, which translates as “Guardians of Peace” is one of the most important Royal initiatives launched in 2011. Built upon the spirit of volunteerism, ethics, community service, integrity and civic responsibility, they volunteer to serve the nation during times of natural disasters, participate in charitable activities and other social services. Their most notable contribution was during the Covid-19 pandemic which helped the Royal Government to successfully address its numerous challenges.
The DSP trainings are mostly provided by international experts and trainers. In a few cases, public agencies and private institutes in Bhutan as well as local experts also impart the trainings either on their own or as assistants to international experts. Depending on the courses, some skilling programs are conducted in existing training institutes while others are conducted in available infrastructure or establishments, which are equipped with necessary facilities needed for the courses.
The focus of DSP is to ensure high quality and impactful short-terms trainings that are aligned to leading regional and international standards. Its strength lies in bringing in foreign talent, skills and technology. Every training aspires for regional and global certification, wherever possible.
The trainings are be followed by field experiences associated with business and entrepreneurial entities. It is expected that the trainings will eventually lead to engagement of youths in meaningful economic activities such as self-employment and entrepreneurship. To materialize this goal, the DSP is now launching the Business Incubation and Start-ups Centre as well. The formulation and implementation of DSP is overseen by a Steering Committee which is supported by a Program Management Team and Facilitation Team (Logistics and Finance).
