World famous organisations attend the symposium of occupational standards program in Vientiane

On April 10, 2024, the "Laos Occupational Standards Programs Development and Implementation Symposium" took place at the headquarters of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI) in the city of Vientiane.
The symposium was co-sponsored by LNCCI, the Lao Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MLSW) and was co-organized by the Lao Vocational Education Development Institute (VEDI), and the Lancang-Mekong-China Education and Training Alliance (LCETPA).
The symposium, conducted both in person and online, highlighted the relationship between occupational standards and vocational education, and saw the participation of representatives of 60 organisations, including LNCCI's Chongqing representative office, LCETPA's liaison office in China, universities in China, and organisations from Brunei Darussalam and Timor-Leste.
LNCCI's Executive Vice Chairman, Daovone Phachanthavong, presided over the symposium, with Mr. Yang Donglun, Chairman of LCETPA, acting as the moderator.

During his remarks, Mr Daovone introduced the background of the LNCCI and its commitment to the application of technology, talent development, and international activities in the field of vocational education.
Mr Daovone pointed to the LNCCIC office in Chongqing and the LCETPA as two platforms launched by the chamber to serve Chongqing and surrounding provinces and cities in China while providing business consulting and educational cooperation services.
Mr Daovone also highlighted Laos's Occupational Standards Programs (OSP) and the support received for OSP from the international community while expressing hope to further discussion with industry professionals to jointly update and implement new standards through the symposium.
During the symposium’s programme, the Director of VEDI, Dr Bounseng Khammounty and his team provided details on the current process of occupational standards development in Laos, as well as the committee responsible for the setting, structure and format of national occupational standards.
Dr Bounseng and his team also shared the overall situation and achievements of the "Sino-Lao Occupational Standards Joint Development and Mutual Recognition Program" and pointed to as the designated unit for occupational standard development by the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports. At the symposium, VEDI representatives expressed that they look forward to consulting with other relevant leaders on how to further innovate OSP through the field of vocational education.
The symposium then proceeded to a discussion on OSP development, updating, and implementation, with remarks from officials from the cosponsors and coorganizers of the symposium and representatives from the German International Cooperation Agency, World Bank, Lao National Training Committee, Swiss Foundation for Technical Cooperation, National University of Laos, Lao National Railway Group, among others.

At the symposium, participants discussed a 2024 OSP action plan, which includes steps such as the implementation of the second phase of occupations standards, coordinating national and international resources towards the enhancement of student capabilities and improvement of vocational education, deepening cooperation between countries like China with Laos on vocational education and establishing long-term arrangements with other relevant international organisations.
Towards the conclusion of the symposium, LNCCI and MLSW representatives, respectively, formally received a set of pilot occupational standards handed over by Dr Bounseng to open a new chapter on the further implementation of OSP.
At the symposium’s conclusion, Mr Daovone congratulated participants for their substantive participation in promoting the construction and implementation of OSP and suggested the utilization of a range of resources to help Laos acquire more talents, technology, and technical personnel towards the future economic development of Laos.

 (Latest Update April 13, 2024)