Cambodia and Switzerland Celebrate TVET Project Achievements, Agree to Continue Phase Two

Heng Sour, Minister of Labour and Vocational Training, met with Christian Disler, Deputy Head of Cooperation for Cambodia of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), on the afternoon of July 17, 2026, at the Ministry's headquarters. The meeting aimed to showcase the significant achievements of the ASEAN-Switzerland TVET Initiative (ASTI) project's Phase One and to discuss the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Phase Two, which will further enhance TVET programs in Cambodia. Phase One is scheduled to conclude at the end of this year. On this occasion, the Minister of Labour warmly welcomed Christian Disler, the representative of GIZ, and his colleagues. He highly praised the commendable achievements of the ASTI project's Phase One. On behalf of the Cambodian government, he expressed his profound gratitude to the Swiss government, SDC, GIZ, and all partners for their support in developing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Cambodia. He stated that Switzerland is a trusted development partner, and its technical expertise and commitment have significantly contributed to strengthening human resource development in Cambodia to meet evolving market demands. The Minister commended the success of the ASTI project's Phase One, noting its substantial contribution to reforming Cambodia's TVET system through the development of national guidelines on Work-Based Learning (WBL), the preparation of training package standards, the enhancement of competency-based training and assessment, and the establishment of strong partnerships between the government, industry, and TVET institutions. As a result, 427 trainees successfully completed the WBL program and achieved 100% employment post-graduation, with 80% being women, demonstrating inclusive and equitable skills development. This achievement clearly indicates that WBL remains a priority strategy to strengthen cooperation between TVET institutions and enterprises, thereby increasing youth employability and enterprise productivity. Heng Sour highlighted that the Cambodian government considers human resource development as the core of its "Pentagonal Strategy" Phase One, and the Ministry is modernizing the TVET system to train human resources according to labor market needs. The Ministry remains committed to implementing the integration of WBL as a key component of the national TVET system, expanding public-private partnerships in skills development, and strengthening competency standards, curricula, and quality assurance. He also fully welcomed and supported the continuation of the MoU for the ASTI project. To ensure the long-term sustainability of the project, the Ministry supports the establishment of sustainable financing mechanisms for WBL, strengthening collaboration with the Skills Development Fund, and exploring joint financing mechanisms between the government, enterprises, and development partners. Heng Sour encouraged both technical teams to finalize discussions in a timely manner to ensure a smooth transition from Phase One to Phase Two. The Minister expressed his firm hope that Phase Two will be as successful as Phase One, ensuring that this cooperation continues to bring further benefits to youth, employees, and enterprises in terms of increased productivity. In response, Christian Disler expressed his gratitude to the Minister of Labour for the fruitful discussion and for the Ministry's commitment and long-term vision to continue the MoU. He noted that Phase One has achieved significant progress. Specifically, 427 trainees completed their on-the-job training and received certificates, which serve as a crucial foundation and an excellent starting point for further project expansion. For the next phase, Christian Disler emphasized the importance of collaboration to address key challenges, particularly in finding sustainable financing mechanisms for off-the-job training. He expressed his deep gratitude to Heng Sour and all the teams for their past support and cooperation, and he was pleased to see the results and development benefiting the Cambodian people.