The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training and the NGO Good Neighbors Cambodia signed an agreement to implement projects to improve the vocational skills of Cambodian youths by strengthening the quality of their employment training and raising community awareness.

The three-year deal that was established by a memorandum of understanding will run from December 2021 to November 2024 and was signed by Minister of Labour and Vocational Training Ith Sam Heng and Good Neighbors Cambodia country representative Jang Dongwon on December 17 at the ministry.

Jang Dongwon said that this was the first time his organisation has worked with the ministry and that the agreement paved the way for them to coordinate with well-known companies which are taking an interest in Cambodia and creating a high demand for skilled human resources.

“This programme aims to improve the quality of vocational training programmes for young people, access to vocational training for them and increase the employment support system for them,” he said.

Educational activities to be carried out include courses on repairing infrastructure, workshops and laboratories, providing training equipment at target institutions, developing curricula for technical and vocational degrees and the curricula for a master's degree, associate degrees and a bachelor’s degree in technologies such as air conditioning, electrical engineering and IT as well as training teachers, holding job fairs and providing job opportunities with improved access to vocational training for young people in Phnom Penh, Battambang and Banteay Meanchey provinces.

Sam Heng thanked Good Neighbor Cambodia for its active participation supporting various sectors of Cambodian development.

“I am very pleased that the organisation has selected the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training as a partner to implement this human resource training project. Human resources in this sector play an important role in contributing to the socio-economic development of Cambodia,” he said.

Good Neighbors Cambodia is just one branch of the organisation, which is operating in 37 countries globally. The organisation has been active in Cambodia since 2002, focusing on a number of key long-term development projects and programmes.

Their programmes include child protection, education, health, water and sanitation, the environment, income-generation and partnership building, advocacy and humanitarian programmes all carried out through six community development programmes in Phnom Penh, Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Kratie, Mondulkiri and Ratanakkiri provinces.