Vientiane – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MoLSW) held a Consultation Meeting (28 September) with Skills Development Partners under IOM’s regional programme – Poverty Reduction through Safe Migration, Skills Development and Enhanced Job Placement in Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar and Thailand (PROMISE).

The one-day consultation meeting aimed to exchange knowledge on Safe Migration issues and improve training materials for Skills Development Partners (SDPs), strengthen support on mainstreaming Safe Migration training into institutions’ schedules, and enhance access of quality Safe Migration information for students enrolled in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) system. It brought together 30 representatives from key stakeholders, including 13 directors from TVET schools and three directors from Skills Development Centres and Lao-Korea Skills Development Institute, as well as representatives from key line ministries of the Lao Government, IOM and Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC).

Opening the ceremony, Ms. Anousone Khamsingsavath, Director General of the Skills Development and Employment Department (SDED) at MoLSW, spoke on the importance of disseminating information on formal migration channels and pursuing a cooperative strategy to increase skills development opportunities and promote decent employment for migrants.

Participants actively discussed ways to mainstream Safe Migration knowledge into school curriculum, and shared challenges encountered under COVID-19. Among the methods discussed were village-level information campaigns involving family members, provision of materials on specific job application procedures for graduates, and more budgetary support for job fairs. Participants agreed to continue their support for the second Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop in mid-October.

IOM, in close coordination with MoLSW, set up the first ToT on safe migration for TVET and Skills Development Centres in July 2019. The training was attended by 33 skills providers from Vientiane Capital, Khammouan, Savannakhet, Salavan, Attapeu, and Oudomxay were trained. In January 2020, the National Project Advisory Committee met to further ensure stakeholder commitment to incorporating Safe Migration training into respective institutions’ school calendar.

There are a total of 34 TVET schools and 6 Skills Development Centres across Lao People’s Democratic Republic, among which 23 institutions have previously received safe migration training from IOM. Following a government order on 18 March, school operation was suspended as part of the effort to prevent COVID-19 transmission, creating new challenges for Skills Development Institutions. Education institutions partially re-opened in early June.

PROMISE, now in its fourth year of implementation, is a cross-regional initiative that aims to promote poverty reduction through ethical recruitment and skills development, safe migration schemes, and enhanced return and reintegration mechanisms. The programme is supported by SDC.

For more information please contact Karen HO at IOM Vientiane. Tel. + 856 (0)21 267 734. Email: kho@iom.int