Building Future-Ready Skills: Insights from the Closing the Gap Workshop in Phnom Penh

On 16–17 September 2025, Phnom Penh hosted the second Closing the Gap Workshop, co-organised by the European Union (EU) and the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training of Cambodia. More than 50 stakeholders from governments, TVET institutions, the private sector, and international organisations across ASEAN and Timor Leste joined the discussions.

Building on last year’s edition in Bangkok, which identified key employability challenges, this year’s workshop focused on co-designing practical and actionable solutions to close the skills gap in ASEAN.

Discussions highlighted the importance of:

• Aligning TVET with labour market demands in the context of the green and digital transitions.
• Strengthening teacher training and institutional capacity.
• Enhancing collaboration between governments, institutions, and industry.
• Feeding inputs into the upcoming ASEAN–EU Policy Dialogue on Higher Education in Malaysia.

Participants also visited the National Polytechnic Institute of Cambodia (NPIC), where they saw how digital and green skills are integrated into training programmes, offering tangible examples of future-oriented vocational education.

Nuffic’s contribution

The workshop is part of the EU–ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package – Higher Education (SCOPE-HE) Programme, which Nuffic Southeast Asia co-implements with DAAD. The programme aims to foster stronger links between education and the world of work.

Reflecting on the event, Nanya – Director of Nuffic Southeast Asia – stated:

“This workshop has shown that meaningful progress in TVET depends on true collaboration between governments, institutions, and the private sector. The ideas and solutions generated here will not remain within Phnom Penh – they will feed directly into the ASEAN–EU Policy Dialogue on Higher Education in Malaysia later this year. At Nuffic, we are committed to building bridges, connecting people, and ensuring that vocational education becomes a driver of inclusive growth and sustainability across the region.”

Looking ahead

The Closing the Gap series has become a journey towards systemic change in TVET and employability across ASEAN. From mapping challenges in Bangkok to co-designing solutions in Phnom Penh, the next step is ensuring these insights inform regional policy frameworks and future cooperation.

For Nuffic, this reflects a broader mission: to strengthen skills, foster partnerships, and help prepare ASEAN’s youth for the jobs of tomorrow.