A groundbreaking ceremony for the first vocational school for tourism in Phnom Penh was held on November 24 in the presence of Minister of Tourism Thong Khon, with another set to be built in the coastal Preah Sihanouk province.
The ministry said the school in the capital will consist of two buildings of two and four floors, with special tourism-training facilities alongside everything required from a modern educational institution.
The ministry said that while the school would be able to accommodate some 600 students, it will receive around 300 students for the 2024-2025 academic year.
The school will run four tourism vocational training sessions – hotel and accommodation services, food and beverage services, travel services and tourist services.
Ministry spokesman Top Sopheak said the construction of the first vocational school for tourism is of great importance in the training of human resources, and plays a vital role in developing tourist skills to boost the sector in Cambodia.
“This school will make a significant contribution to tourism, in particular by providing opportunities for young people and the next generation who wish to learn skills for the tourism sector,” said Sopheak, who is also secretary of state at the ministry.
The school will run one to two year training courses for developing capacity levels to improve the tourism industry, he added.
The French Development Agency (AFD) has provided €11 million (around $11.5 million) in loans for the vocational school construction projects in Phnom Penh and Preah Sihanouk province, and €1.5 million in grants to strengthen the Tourism Commercial Capacity Building Programme.
