Labour minister Heng Sour (right) meets with Czech ambassador Martin Vavra on continued support of vocational and technical training programmes on November 22. LABOUR MINISTRY
Martin Vavra, ambassador of the Czech Republic to Cambodia, confirmed continued support for vocational and technical training programmes in the Kingdom and the further expansion of bilateral cooperation.
Vavra made the confirmation during a November 22 working meeting with Minister of Labour and Vocational Training Heng Sour, according to a labour ministry announcement.
During the meeting Vavra reiterated that the government of the Czech Republic will continue to cooperate and support Cambodia, especially via vocational and technical training programmes.
He also expressed his support for the launch of two national programmes of the Kingdom’s seventh mandate government, the announcement of vocational training programmes for 1.5 million youth, and the expansion of the social security fund for health care, which allows self-employed individuals and their dependents to become members of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) through voluntary contributions.
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During the meeting, Sour thanked the Czech Republic for its support to Cambodia for previous training programmes. He described the Czech Republic as an important partner in providing education to the people of Cambodia, noting that many senior Cambodian officials have graduated from Czech universities.
“In the past, the Czech People In Need (PIN) project has supported the National Employment Agency (NEA). They have also provided assistance to the technical trainers at the Kampong Chhnang Vocational Training Centre, the National Vocational Institute of Battambang and the Industrial Technical Institute,” he said.
The labour minister also requested that the Czech government consider supporting the establishment of community nurseries and kindergartens in industrial areas, in order to ensure the establishment of quality child care for the families of factory workers and the wellbeing of the next generation.
Kong Samneang, head of the Federation of Education Services in Cambodia, believed that cooperation between the labour ministry and the Czech Republic to expand support for technical training could become an important mechanism to help meet current and future job needs.
“I request that the ministry expand cooperation with the outside world as much as possible, in order to attract economic growth in this area,” he said.
A ministry statement explaiend that vocational and technical training programmes – as well as health care – are prioritised in the policies of the seventh mandate government, in order to ensure quality and healthy human capital.
The Czech government is currently preparing a bilateral cooperation programme with the Cambodian government for 2024-2030, in which education and vocational training will be the top priority areas of development.
