Closing the Gap Workshop 2027: Catalysing ASEAN’s Future Through Workforce Readiness
The fourth and final Closing the Gap Workshop will bring together policymakers, vocational education and training providers, employers and development partners in Manila. Over two days, participants will turn lessons from the workshop series into practical recommendations to help ASEAN’s workforce prepare for the green and digital transitions.
About the workshop
How can vocational education and training keep pace with changing skills needs? Employers and training providers can work together to update curricula, expand apprenticeships and give learners more opportunities to gain practical experience. The Manila workshop will examine where these approaches have worked and what it would take to apply them more widely across ASEAN.
The workshop is jointly organised by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) of the Philippines and the EU-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package – Higher Education Programme (SCOPE-HE). SCOPE-HE is part of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and is implemented by Nuffic and DAAD.
From lessons to regional action
The workshop builds on three previous editions. Bangkok identified gaps in graduate employability, Phnom Penh explored practical responses, and Penang examined how governments, training providers and employers can work together. The series draws on a regional study on the employability of vocational graduates in ASEAN’s agri-food sector.
In Manila, participants will share examples from their countries and identify challenges that could benefit from regional cooperation. They will develop a shortlist of priority actions and policy recommendations to inform an ASEAN-led agenda for workforce readiness and guide cooperation beyond the end of SCOPE-HE.
Programme highlights
- 24 February – Panel discussions will explore ASEAN and EU approaches to cooperation in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and review lessons from the series. Country groups will share approaches that have improved graduate employability or strengthened collaboration with employers.
- 25 February – Practitioners will showcase approaches that could be adapted elsewhere in the region. Participants will agree on priority actions and discuss who could lead and support them. The programme includes a planned site visit to Lufthansa Technik Philippines and Lufthansa Technical Training Philippines in Pasay City.
Who will take part?
The workshop will bring together ASEAN TVET Council focal points, representatives of TVET institutions and polytechnics, private sector representatives, and regional and international organisations.