Technical and vocational education and performance improvement is a good and very important system in Laos according to Lao PDR still belongs to the group of least developed countries although its economy has been growing strongly over the last severa...
Technical and vocational education and performance improvement is a good and very important system in Laos according to Lao PDR still belongs to the group of least developed countries although its economy has been growing strongly over the last several years.
Technical and vocational education and training helps learners to acquire skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to enter the world of work. A quality TVET program plays an essential role in promoting a country’s economic growth and contributing to poverty reduction as well as ensuring the social and economical inclusion of marginalized communities.
In 2010 the gross domestic product is expected to grow by 7.5 % and from 2011 to 2015 an average growth of at least 8,0 % is assumed Besides this solely economical development the Lao government is continuing to meet its poverty-related Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and to leave the status of being a least developed country by 2020.
One of the most challenging tasks along this timeline is the development of the Technical Vocational Education and Training sector. On one hand it has to absorb an increasing number of young girls and boys who are leaving school and on the other hand this sector has to provide enterprises with the labor force they are asking for. In the year 2015, there will be a demand of 3.26 million workers, but the workforce supply will be only 3.17 million Therefore the TVET sector should play an important role in training skilled workers in accordance with labor market demand. The report begins with an analysis of the Lao PDR socioeconomic development model and the imperatives that arise for TVET. It goes on to focus on TVET policy development. Lao PDR’s development model has important consequences for its education and training system.
Over the last 20 years, Lao PDR has seen rapid economic growth based on the expansion of resource-based sectors, mainly mining and hydropower. However, the impact on employment generation has been rather modest. The economy of Lao PDR is still dominated by lowproductivity rural economic activities, requiring, thus far, low levels of qualifications from the labor force.