Workshop on skills development

A workshop on Integrating Skills Development in the ASEAN Confederation of Employers (ACE) was held in Bangkok from 11 -12 December 2017.

The workshop was attended by representatives from all the employers’ organisations from the ASEAN countries and provided the opportunity for them to share experiences and best practice under the umbrella of the ACE organisation. The workshop was facilitated and financed by the DECP.

During the course of the workshop it was clear that employers across the region wanted to see greater cooperation between the world of academia and enterprises. They also wanted to see governments to give greater priority to skills development.

The effectiveness of TVET within a number of countries was called into question and discussions took place on how this could be made more relevant to the needs of employers. Employers accepted that they needed to develop a clear strategy at an ASEAN level which would influence policy developments.

The workshop provided the opportunity for the preparation of a major ACE Conference on Skills to be held in Manila in April 2018