At a Glance

Partners
ASEAN Secretariat
Cambodia: Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MLVT)
Lao People’s Democratic Republic: Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MOLSW)
Myanmar: Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population (MOLIP)
Korea: HRD Korea, KOREATECH

Target beneficiaries
Ultimate beneficiaries: Skilled migrant workers, employers and training providers in the CLM countries, low-skilled workers in ASEAN.
Direct beneficiaries: ASEAN Secretariat, MLVT, MOLSW, MOLIP and their vocational training institutions. Trade unions and employers’ organizations in CLM countries.

Geographical focus
ASEAN, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Myanmar

Project objective

In light of the mega trends that will reshape the future of work and more expected free movements of labour among Member States, ASEAN need a more responsive skills strategy more than ever before.

Skills development has been one of the long-time commitments of the ILO/Korea Partnership Programme in Asia and the Pacific. Since 2014 the programme has initiated the implementation of Mutual Recognition of Skills (MRS) to prepare the countries for a free flow of skilled workers in the region within the framework of the ASEAN Qualifications Reference Framework (AQRF). In 2016 the programme extended and deepened a regional debate on skills and the future of work to explore new perspectives to help ASEAN countries meet future skills challenges.

By building on the achievements and progress of the MRS and the work centering on skills and the future of work as well as the ongoing skills intervention in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar (CLM), the new project aims to further strengthen ILO’s support for ASEAN’s initiative on the mutual recognition of skills, AQRF and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and further facilitate regional knowledge sharing on the future directions of skills and TVET strategies for inclusive future of work. The project will also include a small pilot initiative to enhance employability of low-skilled workers whose employment is seen at high risk faced with increased automation and computerization.

The immediate objectives of the project are:

• Strengthening of ASEAN’s regional dialogue and network has facilitated the region’s capabilities to move forward with the MRS implementation and other key AQRF-TVET agenda.
• Through the coherent strengthening of assessment, certification and accreditation frameworks, national TVET systems of CLM countries facilitate decent work for national and migrant workers in ASEAN sub-region.
• The region has increased its knowledge and experience in enhancing the employability of low-skills workers in the face of increased automation and computerization. 

Main activities

• Prepare and organize the Regional Skills Technical Working Group (RSTWG) meeting and conduct follow-up activities after the meeting including drafting of the MRS implementation guideline.
• Implement pilot MRS in selected countries and report and evaluate the pilot activities.
• Prepare and organize ILO/Korea TVET Forum.
• Review existing studies comparing the different network, dialogue and cooperation among TVET institutions in the Asia-Pacific region and other regions with a specific focus on MRS, AQRF and Future of Skills.
• Review and benchmark the assessment, certification and accreditation systems in CLM countries.
• The strategy of improvement is agreed and documented through the national and regional workshops as well as study tours.
• Organize study tour on assessment, certification and accreditation systems with Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in the Philippines, targeting CLM countries.
• Compile and formulate coherent assessment, certification and accreditation systems at the country level for CLM, in line with ASEAN guiding principle of quality assurance in TVET.
• Select sectors, occupations and countries for the skills and career mapping and implement the mapping.
• Conduct study on skills upgrading of low-skilled workers at the lower end of value chains in selected countries and sectors in ASEAN.
• Organize workshop to disseminate the findings of the above study to select pilot sectors, occupations and countries as well as types of programmes and implement the programmes.
• Review the existing competency standards and assessment criteria.
• Review the pilot programmes and compile the reports including lessons learned.

Main outcomes

• Implementation plans of MRS at regional and national levels are discussed, formulated and agreed among ASEAN partners.
• Sharing of knowledge and experience on national skills strategies and programmes for the future of work is facilitated through regional TVET forum(s) and strengthened networking, dialogue and cooperation among policy makers and training institutions.
• National systems of quality assurance of TVET with a focus on assessment, certification and accreditation systems are strengthened in CLM countries in line with ASEAN guiding principle of quality assurance in TVET.
• Existing skills and career mapping of low-skilled workers as well as identification of their skills upgrading needs are reviewed in selected countries and sectors in ASEAN.
• Study on skills upgrading of low-skilled workers at the lower end of value chains is conducted in selected countries and sectors in ASEAN.
• Several pilot skills upgrading programmes are implemented in selected countries and sectors in ASEAN.
• Documentation of the pilot programmes and lessons learned.

For further information, please contact:

Mr Hong Jungwoo
Project Manager and Coordinator, ILO/Korea Partnership Programme
Email: hongj@ilo.org
Tel.: +662 288 1715

Ms Akiko Sakamoto
Skills and Employability Specialist, ILO DWT-Bangkok
Email: sakamoto@ilo.org
Tel.: +662 288 1725