Vientiane – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Lao Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MoLSW) organized the Second Safe Migration Training of Trainers (ToT) for Skills Development Partners (SDPs). The two-day training (15-16 October) was held 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 second such Safe Migration ToT aimed to improve knowledge of SDPs on safe and regular migration, increase their capacity to mainstream Safe Migration knowledge in institutional training schedule, and design their training courses in migrant-centered and gender-responsive manner.

The training was attended by 50 representatives, including: SDPs from provincial and central Technical and Vocation Education and Training (TVET) institutions, Initial Vocational and Education Training (IVET) institutions, Skills Development Centres, as well as Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), IOM, and key ministries of the Lao Government.

Opening the ceremony, Khornsy Mahavong, Deputy Director General of the Skills Development and Employment Department (SDED) at MoLSW, highlighted that “migration, as a matter of course, happens regardless of the types of intervention in place, which is why we should focus on promoting safe and regular migration in our work.” He then encouraged participants to continue delivering Safe Migration knowledge in their respective institutions.

IOM developed and distributed copies of ‘For Safe Migration – Trainer’s Guideline’ during the ToT, which includes ten modules of combined materials from IOM, MOLSW, and the Ministry of Public Security. During the case study sessions, participants discussed the emerging issues of migration and the importance of promoting safe and regular migration in the community, especially to young people. The Trainer’s Guideline can thus be an official reference for participants’ roll-out training in their institutions.

Together with SDED, IOM set up the first ToT on safe migration for 11 TVET and eight Skills Development Centres in July 2019. Thirty-three teachers from six provinces were trained, followed by roll-out trainings.

Upon the completion of the second training, all 34 TVET schools and six Skills Development Centres across Lao People’s Democratic Republic have received Safe Migration trainings from PROMISE. IOM and SDED will continue to provide necessary support to SDPs during the new school year.

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 of migrants. The programme is generously supported by SDC.

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