The 2-year project (2020-2021), Partnership for Employment and Skills Development in Battambang Province, Cambodia, responds to the need to improve the quality of secondary vocational education in Cambodia, with a particular focus on the agricultural processing sector. In partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), which is also a key donor to this project, and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), People in Need (PiN) is working to ensure equitable access to relevant vocational training for youth, opening up decent work opportunities and fostering growth in the agricultural processing sector in Cambodia.

The project aims to improve the quality of secondary education at both regional and national levels. At the national level, this will be achieved through opening access to a piloted, market-based, Processing of agricultural products curriculum. The curriculum is based on the transfer of technical know-how and experience from other TVET projects in Cambodia that have been subsidized by CzDA. At the regional level, the objective will be met through (i) transforming the National Vocation Institute of Battambang(NVIB) into a sustainable center of excellence for processing of agricultural products, thereby contributing to the economic growth of the sector; (ii) opening access for NVIB students to improved equipment and facilities that meet local market needs; and (iii) facilitating Public-Private-Partnerships (PPPs) between NVIB and the agricultural processing sector.

In order to meet the stated objectives, the PiN emphasizes the development of a newly revised curriculum for the NVIB and the improvement of its facilities. This will be followed by the development of an internship programme and the establishment of a PPP.

NVIB, its staff and over 250 students will directly benefit from technical and management skills training. At the same time, thousands of youth living in the province will benefit indirectly from the project through increased opportunities and better access to diverse training and employment opportunities.