AKP Phnom Penh, March 31, 2026 --

Cambodia and Switzerland have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to enhance workforce skills in line with labour market demands.

The commitment was highlighted during a meeting held at the Ministry on Mar. 30 between H.E. Heng Sour, Minister of Labour and Vocational Training, and Mr. Reto Grüninger, Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Cambodia.

Discussions focused on reviewing progress in ongoing cooperation and exchanging views on continued support for governance and coordination of Cambodia’s TVET system.

H.E. Heng Sour expressed appreciation to Switzerland for its continued support to Cambodia’s development, particularly in strengthening skills development for migrant workers and the domestic workforce through a more responsive TVET system aligned with industry needs.

The Minister also outlined the ministry’s priorities in improving training quality, governance, and alignment with emerging trends such as Industry 4.0, the digital economy, and green growth.

He noted that the Ministry will launch Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) assessments for returning migrant workers from Thailand in eight construction-related skills starting April 24, 2026, enabling successful candidates to receive official certification.

H.E. Heng Sour further highlighted growing government attention to electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy, including recent tax exemptions on EV imports to promote adoption. He stressed the importance of skills such as mechatronics and electrical engineering as foundational to these sectors.

For his part, Mr. Grüninger praised the strong partnership and progress made in workforce development, reaffirming SDC’s commitment to continue supporting Cambodia’s TVET sector to better serve the needs of its people, particularly youth.

Both sides expressed confidence that their continued cooperation will further strengthen human resource development and contribute to Cambodia’s socio-economic growth.

By C. Nika