Opportunity for Skilled Workers! Labor Ministry Pushes for Recognition of Professional Qualifications to Meet Labor Market Demands

(Phnom Penh): Mr. Sovann Vannarath, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training, invited as the chairman in the seminar on the "Declaration of Professional Qualification Recognition for Enterprises, Companies, and Workers" on the morning of September 2, 2026, at Himawari Hotel. The purpose was to gather opinions and input for revising the procedures to ensure clarity and responsiveness to the actual needs of the labor market.

Speaking to the seminar, which included participation from ministry representatives, relevant institutions, business associations, employers, civil society organizations, and international development partners, Mr. Sovann Vannarath stated that this seminar is not merely a forum for discussion on technical documents but a crucial step in continuing the reform of the human resource development system and building a credible professional qualification recognition system that meets the demands of the labor market. In the context of digital technology advancement, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), and the shift towards a digital economy, Cambodia urgently needs a responsive human resource development system that can adapt to changes by shifting from a focus on the number of trainees to a focus on the actual capacity and outcomes of training.

In addition, Mr. Sovann Vannarath also highlighted the importance of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), which has been assessed and recognized nationally. This process will help skilled workers to gain recognition of their actual skills, enable enterprises to clearly identify workforce capabilities, and help Cambodia build a skilled workforce system. The Secretary of State clarified that the Ministry has prepared a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the implementation of the professional qualification recognition declaration for enterprises and companies to ensure that the assessment of capacity, quality, and recognition of the business sector is of high standard.

The Ministry will continue to strengthen the system of recognizing skills and qualifications, the connection between education, training, and the labor market, elevate the role of the business sector, improve the quality and reliability of the system, encourage the use of digital technology in management, registration, assessment, and service provision, as well as build a culture of lifelong learning. The Ministry's vision is to see Cambodia with a credible and competitive skilled workforce system, serving as a bridge between people, expertise, work, production, and economic growth.

Furthermore, the Secretary of State also encouraged the seminar participants to actively discuss this topic, hoping that the seminar will provide valuable feedback and input for the revision of the SOP to make it more comprehensive and effectively implementable.