PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training has signed agreements with experts from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the French Agency for Development (AFD) on two major projects focused on Technical and Vocational Education and Training Development (TVETSDP) and Skills for Competitiveness (S4C) to raise the capacity of technical skills in Cambodia.

In a meeting on Monday morning with the World Bank’s Managing Director of Social Protection and Global Labor Performance in East Asia and the Pacific, Yasser El-Gammal, the Minister of Labor and Vocational Training, Ith Sam Heng, said that the ministry aims to improve the quality of education, technical and vocational training and respond to the needs of the labor market.

He said the two S4C and TVET projects focus on three major priority areas, including strengthening the equality and responsiveness of technical and vocational education and training at the bachelor's and master’s degree level, promoting on-the-job training through industry partnerships, and expanding financial mechanisms for ECCC and innovation.

TVET, standing for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, entails learning and acquiring practical skills, attitudes, and knowledge in a practice-focused environment, which can help students adapt quickly while entering the workforce, and equip them with critical skills needed by employers in the 21st century, allowing workers to get better jobs with higher paying salaries.

Minister Ith Sam Heng requested the World Bank to support TVET capacity building activities to meet the needs of the labor market, expand TVET enrollment, promote private sector participation in TVET, and improve governance and the TVET system. He further requested additional support for a number of key areas in the implementation of TVET policy, the master plan for the development of the TVET institution, and support for foreign languages, digital/information technology, and soft skills, which are important teachings to be included in the curriculum and all levels of training.

In response, the World Bank Director of Social Protection and Global Performance Management for East Asia and the Pacific accepted the Minister of Labor's request, and added that the World Bank is committed to working with the Ministry to develop these projects by the end of 2022.