Publication: Providing Skills for Equity and Growth: Preparing Cambodia's Youth for the Labor Market
Date
2010
ISSN
Published
2010
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
The scope of this report is twofold.
First, it documents skills gaps and mismatches and attempts
to understand the reasons for them. Second, it provides a
framework for thinking about skills development, drawing on
international best practices, with the intent of stimulating
further discussion. Given the breadth of the task, in this
report we narrow the focus on a particular segment of the
labor force: unskilled youth. There are several reasons
sustaining this choice. First, unskilled youth, most of whom
are out of school and have little chance to integrate
themselves into the labor market, represent a significant
share of the labor force that will remain active for the
next 30 or 40 years. If nothing is done, out-of school youth
will benefit at best only marginally from growth, and may
even become an obstacle to sustaining growth in the long
term. Second, the current educational system still faces a
strong challenge in retaining students, and unskilled youth
are likely to remain high on the agenda in the next decade
or even longer. Finally, in the past decade, training
programs designed specifically for out-of-school youth have
begun to emerge around the developing world, in particular
in Latin America, and recent evaluations suggest that they
can be effective in increasing productivity and the chance
of finding employment. Nevertheless, many of the findings of
this report extend to overall skills development in
Cambodia. In particular, the report points to significant
market failures preventing both firms and training providers
from offering quality training at all levels, as well as the
need to develop certification and accreditation systems that
are valued and recognized by employers and span all levels
of education. The report proceeds in four chapters. The
first covers demographic trends and the labor market. The
second looks at skills gaps and mismatches. The third
reviews existing training providers. The concluding chapter
considers policy options in going forward.
Citation
“World Bank. 2010. Providing Skills for Equity and Growth : Preparing Cambodia's Youth for the Labor Market. © Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/21748 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”