The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced last week a $30 million loan aimed at overhauling Cambodia’s technical and vocational education system (TVET).

According to a September 26 statement issued by the ADB, the new funding will go towards launching a “competency-based” assessment and certification process, and a quality assurance system for TVET institutions to monitor its teachers and programs.

“The TVET system remains in its infancy and needs reform and additional investment to address gaps in access, quality and institutional capacity in order to make a sustained contribution to the development of a skilled workforce,” ADB’s principal education specialist, Norman LaRocque , was quoted saying in the statement. “The program will overhaul the existing system to make it more responsive to labor market needs and help provide disadvantaged groups with more opportunities for formal training.”

The ADB aims to increase vocational training enrollment in key, under-resourced areas, such as construction, auto mechanics and manufacturing, by providing accessible training opportunities, particularly to Cambodia’s female population and the poor.

TVET institutes will be granted start-up finance by the ADB to offer courses in those key areas. The statement did not detail the value of the start-up finance.

The Cambodian government has reportedly agreed to contribute $2.6 million to the five-year project, which is expected to be completed by December 2019.