The International Labour Organization (ILO) has continued their programme supporting training in tourism skills for Siem Reap, Battambang and Banteay Meanchey provinces, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

The agreement was made by Yutong Liu, director of the ILO-China Partnership Programme on Strengthening Skills Development, during his meeting with the Ministry of Tourism’s secretary of state Pak Sokhom on July 14.

Sokhom thanked the ILO for their support to the ministry through the Hospitality Kampuchea (HoKa) programme. He said the ILO had supported the training of 24 local trainers and 31 skilled workers in food and beverage service, as well as more than 200 people in tourism businesses.

He also said that the ILO will continue to provide support by training another 125 local trainers and 150 workers in food and beverage service and front desk reception. The programme supports the ministry’s strategy for skill development in the tourism sector in the post-covid context based on the three pillars of recovery, retraining and retaining.

Yutong Liu said that the ILO will continue to support the tourism ministry through the HoKa to provide more training in Battambang, Banteay Meanchey and Siem Reap provinces. ILO will also look into the possibility of strengthening cooperation between tourism training schools in Cambodia and in China.

He also urged HoKa to look into the possibility of providing training on Chinese cooking to young Cambodian cooks. He said ILO will send Chinese food experts to provide training to them, or alternatively, young Cambodian cooks can go and get training in China.