Skills Development Programme (SDP)

Cambodia has one of the youngest popula­tions in Southeast Asia and the second highest projected labour force growth. Each year, 300,000 new entrants in the labour market represent twice the number of jobs that the narrow based economy creates. The poor qualification of its human re­sources puts the country under pressure, especially in a regionally harmonised labour market. The current TVET provision is failing to meet the labour market needs for skills and to provide youth with acceptable career paths.

The SDP aims to increase the income and employment opportunities for disadvantaged young women and men in the three rural provinces of of Preah Vihear, Stung Treng and Kratie and to contribute to the creation of an inclusive, relevant, qualitative and well-coordinated TVET system nationwide.

The SDP is targeting disadvantaged and poorly ed­ucated youth in rural areas. Young women, young men and women with a disability, and those from ethnic minorities will be given special attention. The provinces of Preah Vihear, Stung Treng and Kratie will be prioritised (difficult access, poor infrastructure, low levels of economic activity and of occupational and basic skills, strong rural to urban migration and international migration).

The two main outcomes are :

1. Young women and men in the targeted provinces have increased market-demanded skills.
2. A sustainable and inclusive Cambodian TVET system, oriented towards the ASEAN integration, delivers quality and accessible TVET to all.

Principaux résultats attendus:  

The Programme is expected to:

• Increase outreach to target provinces where little TVET provision exists
• Improve access by expanding entry points and permeability of the TVET system
• Expand the Cambodia Qualifications Framework (CQF) with new occupations and pre-vocational skills levels
• Support linkages with employers

Principaux résultats antérieurs:  

The inception phase has resulted in a sound project document, which was consulted with the national and subnational authorities and a wide range of additional stakeholders. Furthermore it has provided a wide range of baseline information about training needs and has defined training concepts for the different components.

The SDP works with a range of public and private actors, the donor community, skills providers, as well as civil society. The strong partnerships estab­lished during the inception with national, provincial and international organisations, as sub-contractors for specific activities, will continue under phase 1.

The SDP will use synergies with SDC’s CHAIN pro­ject in building rural skills specifically in processing. At the same time a close collaboration with the Re­gional Rights and skills project is envisaged.
SDC coordinates closely with other Development Partners in the sector, like the ADB and is chairing an informal DP group on Skills Development.
The project will tap into the experiences made in similar projects implemented by the same partners in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Phase 1 01.05.2014 - 30.06.2020   (Completed)