This baseline report is a result of the Nova-INVEST Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) project being implemented in the Herat and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan. This study is meant to inform the design of the project Nova-INVEST. The project aims to improve the skills, livelihood opportunities, and income of returnees, IDPs, and host communities in Kandahar and Herat, promoting stable, cohesive, and inclusive communities.

 We would like to thank the AME director for their support and involvement. We would like to appreciate the efforts of the student who so generously shared their inputs to this research, their valuable time and insights despite their busy schedules helped us in conducting this research successfully.  We would like to extend our gratitude to all those who contributed and supported conducting this assessment effectively.

We are thanking full to the employer’s/SMEs member and Microfinance institutions who provided their valuable input during the research study. The research study is based on the data made available to us wholeheartedly by the people mentioned above. This could not have been done without effective and timely information and data shared with us during this process.