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Myanmar, Singapore ink MoU to establish skill standards for workers

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population signed an MoU with Singapore’s Temasek Foundation-Singapore Polytechnic in Nay Pyi Taw on Thursday to cooperate on establishing a technical institution quality assurance framework for Myanmar workers.

U Thein Swe, minister of Labour, Immigration and Population, said the purpose of the MoU is to assist the main duties of the organisation with specifying a standard of skill for Myanmar workers – writing standards and curriculum according to jobs, registering training schools, recognising skill accessing departments, instructors and inspectors, accessing skills, monitoring and accessing acknowledgement processes, offering training at workplaces and setting rules for trainees.

“The cooperation is aimed at offering qualified training for workplaces and to get mutual recognition from global bodies via ASEAN by issuing national-level certificates after assessing them in accordance with the standards that have been written,” the minister said. As Myanmar is an ASEAN member, it needs to have the right to produce qualified workers and for those workers to migrate freely.

He added that the agreement is the first step in establishing a quality assurance framework that is recognised globally for vocational education and training in Myanmar.

A workshop on the quality assurance framework will teach how to produce qualified skilled workers via not only private vocational schools but also government vocational schools across Myanmar. It will also show how to access departments according to the requirements of the labour market and how to maintain quality certificates.

“Signing this MoU ensures that organisations will get knowledge and experience in managing and checking training systematically,” he said, adding that issuing acknowledgement certificates can also benefit the state.

U Kyaw Zeya, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that as Singapore has the highest quality of education and skills among ASEAN member countries, the certificates are very important for Myanmar. “Workers who possess them have a quality guarantee that will allow them to go to any country with confidence,” he said.

Source: http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/nay-pyi-taw/26341-myanmar-singapore-ink-mou-to-establish-skill-standards-for-workers.html