The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training and the Japanese Business Association of Cambodia (JBAC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote internship cooperation to support technical and vocational training.
The document was signed between labour minister Heng Sour and JBAC president Koji Fukuhara on July 9 at the ministry.
It aims to increase cooperation in training, capacity building, and skills exchange to enhance the productivity of the country’s labour force, particularly focusing on young people from poor and vulnerable families, helping them secure stable jobs and earn a decent income.
Fukuhara stated that the signing of the MoU will pave the way for the internship of professional trainees at Japanese companies present in Cambodia, as a mechanism to strengthen their capabilities and absorb skills from Japanese companies.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Sour urged Japanese entrepreneurs to send staff to attend capacity-building courses in the government’s free national training programme to increase productivity. He noted the programme offers a flexible schedule.
“This internship is not only about [skills development] but also about learning from the workplace environment after learning at school,” he added.
The MoU between the two sides is a new agreement following the ministry’s MoU with the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and 17 employers’ associations in November 2023, which aimed to provide opportunities for young Cambodians who have studied technical skills to gain practical work experience.
The ministry said in a July 9 press release that the cooperation with JBAC will provide a broad scope for human resource development in all fields. It noted this will focus on seminars, internships for trainees with technical skills, and other important activities that are beneficial for strengthening productivity to serve the labour market in Cambodia.