With the development of the country’s human capital as a top priority, the government on Friday asked the private sector as well as national and international organisations to work with the Ministry of Labour to boost vocational education in the Kingdom.
The request was made during the first National Day of Technical Vocational Education and Training (National TVET Day), which was celebrated on Friday with a forum at Phnom Penh’s Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Center.
Pich Sophoan, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Labour, said during the forum that developing human resources across every industry to create a more competitive workforce is a top priority for the government, arguing that through a more efficient vocational training system Cambodia will be better positioned to achieve its goal of becoming a middle-income country by 2030.
Mr Sophoan said productivity in the country is still low when compared to other nations, particularly in key sectors like textiles. Improving productivity is essential to sustain the country’s economic growth, he added.
He said the objective of declaring a national day for TVET is to draw more investment to vocational training programmes from the private sector as well as local and international organisations, and to encourage students and their parents to consider vocational education options.
“The National TVET Day seeks to bring stakeholders together, including technical training institutions, private companies, NGOs, and experts from various fields to share insights and experience with young people,” Mr Sophoan said.
He said the ministry has finished drafting its strategy on TVET, which aims to boost the quality of vocational training programmes across the Kingdom and increase students’ access to them.
As part of this strategy, the ministry organises the Productivity Fair, which was held last year for the first time. It took place in October alongside another expo, the National Career Fair.
In a statement released on Friday to celebrate National TVET Day, Primer Minster Hun Sen said that vocational education plays a crucial role in developing human resources through knowledge, skills, good work attitude and morality, and is essential to enhance the country’s competitiveness, attract more foreign investment, and create new jobs.
“We continue to invest a lot of the national budget on the development of technical vocational education and training,” Prime Minister Hun Sen said. “In the last five years, about 400,000 people took part in vocational training programmes across the country.”
