Cambodia asks ADB to fund training

PHNOM PENH, 3 October 2012: To compete in a regional setting, Cambodia’s tourism experts have called for more assistance from the Asian Development Bank to finance workforce training for tourism personnel ahead of the ASEAN Economic Community 2015.

The Government-Private Sector’s Tourism Working Group chairman, Ho Vandy, said representatives of various tourism related associations had asked the ADB for help in technical and vocation education and training.

“By 2015, all ASEAN countries will become a single community which will increase competition and human resources need to be upgraded,” he said.

“We have asked for support to fund programmes that will build skills in the tourism work force.”

Cambodia Association of Travel Agents president, Ang Kim Eang, said training was a key factor to build competitiveness because the country university courses did not extend to tourism.

Meanwhile, the Asian Development Bank education specialist, Swetal Sindhvad, said although ADB had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Economy and Ministry of Finance that focused on workforce training, the ADB had not set a budget or given priority to any particular industry sector such as tourism.

“We are trying to identify what areas need assistance and then we will work with the government on the amounts.”

Tourism personnel in the ASEAN region will face  fierce competition after the market opens in 2015 particularly 32 positions in six labour divisions that will be  available for workers from all member countries almost with the same freedom attained in the EU. Work permit regulations will remain in place which will provide a degree of protection.

The six labour divisions cover four in hotel services including front office, housekeeping, food production and food and beverage services and two in travel services comprising of travel agencies and tour operators.

The 32 categories that come under liberalisation, however, have not been ratified by Thailand, the only nation that has yet to sign the Mutual Recognition Agreement. All the other nations in ASEAN signed off on the MRA in January 2009 in Hanoi in Vietnam.

MRA is a proposed arrangement among ASEAN member countries designed to facilitate the free movement and employment of qualified and certified personnel between ASEAN member countries.

Sourced: ttrweekly