A senior official of the Ministry of Labour has encouraged youth to study professional elevators skills to meet the demands of the modern labour market.
The Industrial Technical Institute (ITI) has cooperated with the private company GGear Group, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) to launch specialised elevator skills training at ITI.
Labour Ministry secretary of state Pich Sophoan said that in the future, the government will develop these skills to an even higher technical degree.
He said that the increase of tall buildings in Cambodia means that the nation is facing shortages in such professional areas as elevator installation, repair and maintenance, and that currently there is no institute which offers these skills.
He said that the requirement for this kind of training is in line with the growth of Cambodia’s building infrastructure.
“This training is a good example of the diversification of new skills that is required to respond to current and future labour market needs,” he said.
He also asked for more instructors to teach more trainers, in order to expand the number of students who would be learning these professional skills. He asked that all partner companies continue to support the training to ensure that teachers have the capacity to transfer their knowledge to the next round of trainees.
He suggested that ITI urge elevator skills training in cooperation with relevant sites, developmental partners and NGOs to promote practical training in these technical skills.
“I also ask that the private sector and developmental partners support the programme with technical equipment and an operating budget, and provide field trips to our trainers to get training and experience at construction sites,” he said.
In May 2021, GGear Group signed an MoU with ITI for the purpose of supporting technical and professional training in mechanical areas. The elevator programme is the first such programme to accept trainees. Graduates of the programme may have the opportunity to join GGear as staff members in the future.
Mai Kakada, a Grade 12 student, said that when he has finished his high school education, he aims to study a technical profession. The area of elevators appeals to him.
“I am interested in this skillset because these skills are in demand in the labour market now because there are more and more tall buildings. These buildings will need elevator installation and maintenance of course, so I think if a student enjoys studying this in industry, they will easily find a job after graduating,” he said.
This article was first published in Khmer Times. All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.
