Vetsaphong centre to develop Lao workers' skills
Vetsaphong centre to develop Lao workers' skills
The Vetsaphong Skill Development and Testing Centre is helping to develop Lao labour skills to improve standards and pave the way for Asean integration.
Last week, the centre opened the first skill testing session for Level 2 Carpentry after they had trained at the centre for many months.
This testing session comprised eight people, with the judging committee comprised from the private and government sectors, such as the Lao-Korea Skill Development Institute, the Furniture Association, the Pakpasak Technical College and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.
During the testing, the participants sat an exam on both theory and practice, with an eight hour deadline for completion, assembling model boxes from Japan.
The testing is important to certify the skills of carpenters as they prepare to seek work with companies and factories, said Mr Khamphieng Keolangsi, a committee member from the Lao-Korea Skill Development Institute.
It also aims to improve their skills to meet accepted standards as well as pave the way for regional and Asean integration, he said.
This is the first group of trainess to undergo testing after the centre was approved by the government and officially launched in May, said the Director of the Vetsaphong Skill Development and Testing Centre, Mr Yothin Vetsaphong.
The centre is the first modern and complex vocational training centre in Laos, and has electrical, woodcraft, welding and repair sections.
Most of the trainees are from Xiengngeun district, Luang Prabang province - people who are disadvantaged and poor.
The centre plans to receive its next group of trainees from different provinces throughout the country. It aims to improve workers' skills and create more job opportunities.
The facility will help to give Laos a more competitive edge in the region when the country becomes part of the Asean Economic Community at the end of this year.
There is no shortage of workers but they are poorly trained, so the centre will aim to correct that by turning out people with the necessary skills, said the Director of the Vetsaphong Skill Development and Testing Centre, Mr Yothin.
Currently, most of the technicians working with various companies come from other countries in the region as Laos can supply only a limited number.
Laos suffers from a chronic shortage of trained technicians and is creating a curriculum that relates to practical work and international standards.
