[PHNOM PENH POST]
Some 300,000 young Cambodians are entering the domestic labour market
every year, but often don’t have the skill sets required by private
sector employers, UN Development Programme Deputy Country Director
Sophie Baranes said yesterday.
Improving human capital in
Cambodia requires a concentrated effort by stakeholders such as
government, private sector and education institutions, she said.
“In order to succeed, a sustainable programme of training, or higher education reform, is needed.”
Yesterday,
the UNDP in conjunction with the government issued a report titled
Human Capital Implications of Future Economic Growth in Cambodia, aiming
to provide a roadmap to building up high quality human capital to boost
the economy.
“At present, there exists a significant gap between
market demand and the skills available, and existing educational
institutions and curricula are often unresponsive to market demands and
the need of the private sector,” the report said.
Supreme
National Economic Council Deputy Secretary General Hav Ratank said the
government had prioritised human resource development.
Cambodia’s intention to develop its industry requires simultaneous human capital development, he said.
Although there is much work still to be done, Hav Ratanak highlighted work done by the government to improve the situation.
He
noted the education budget had increased 8 times over in the 10 years
from 2000 to 2010, and added certain measures had been adopted following
the global economic crisis to promote employment.
So far, the programmes have assisted 40,000 laid-off workers find employment, he said.
“Indeed,
it’s necessary for the government [to assist on human capital
development] … but it needs wide cooperation from all the stakeholders
and development partners,” he said.
The report laid out a number
of short- and long-term recommendations, ranging from stopping school
drop-outs to improving vocational training and reforming higher
education.
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