A new milestone in Cambodia-China skills collaboration has been reached with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening Cambodia's technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system to better respond to the evolving demands of emerging industries.
Supported by the ILO/China Partnership Programme on Skills Development, China's Zhejiang Construction Technician College (ZCTC) and Cambodia's Polytechnic Institute of Pursat Province (PIPP) signed the MoU in Zhejiang on 30 July 2025. The collaboration underscores the importance of the partnership in addressing emerging industry needs, fostering South-South Cooperation, and promoting high-quality workforce development under the Belt and Road Initiative.
The agreement establishes a framework for long-term cooperation in intelligent construction, faculty exchange, curriculum development, and vocational training.
Senior representatives from the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, Cambodia's Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training and the International Labour Organization (ILO) witnessed the signing ceremony.
Xu Yongliang, Head of ZCTC, expressed the college's strong commitment to supporting Cambodia's skills development through practical training, resource sharing and trainer capacity building. "This MoU marks a new era of collaboration, building a bridge of friendship and shared growth between Cambodia and China," he said.
Under the agreement, both institutions will jointly organise technical upskilling programmes, high-level skills competitions, student and teacher exchanges and research projects in construction technology.
Tian Feng, the ILO/China Project Manager, praised the collaboration as a model of skills cooperation under the Belt and Road South-South Skills Development Network. "This MoU creates tangible opportunities for Cambodian trainees to realise their dreams through advanced skills training."
"A goal is to enable Cambodian youth to access advanced training at ZCTC's state-of-the-art facilities, while enhancing the capacity of PIPP instructors to deliver modern, market-relevant training," Tian added. "With this partnership now formalised, both ZCTC and PIPP are well-positioned to deliver programmes that will equip young Cambodians with skills needed to thrive in the fast-growing construction sector and contribute to the country's long-term socio-economic development."
© ILO
