BANGKOK (ILO News) – Government, worker and employer representatives from ASEAN Member States convened recently to share updates and explore recommendations on how to promote Mutual Recognition of Skills (MRS) and other ASEAN skills recognition initiatives to facilitate a freer flow of skilled workers in the region.
The 7th Regional Skills Technical Working Group (RSTWG) meeting took place 28-29 September 2023 co-hosted by the ASEAN TVET Council and the ILO, through the ILO/Korea Partnership programme. It brought together some 190 participants from ASEAN Member States, the ASEAN Secretariat and ASEAN employers’ and workers’ organizations.
The event provided an opportunity to celebrate and showcase the major milestones achieved by the MRS pilot implementation, which involved collaboration between multiple countries to compare skills and competency standards and assessment, certification, and quality assurance in various sectors. The meeting included the signing of the MRS Certificate in bricklaying and plastering between Thailand and Cambodia and Certificates of Appreciation were also presented to Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines for their involvement in the pilot activities.
Participants agreed that MRS provides a manageable, transparent and safe channel for workers’ mobility in the region, and while the process can be detailed and challenging, the benefits clearly outweigh the costs.
“For workers, this is very important. It might pave the way for better treatment of migrant workers and for better employment”, expressed Ruben Torres, General Secretary, ASEAN Trade Union Council.
The need for active employer engagement and involvement to facilitate movement of migrant workers, whose skills are recognized through the MRS scheme was also discussed.
“The role of business and industry has been emphasized. The ASEAN Confederation of Employers should play a bigger role and participate more actively in discussions related to Mutual Recognition of Skills and Mutual Recognition Agreements,” said Jose Roland Moya, Focal Point and Advisory on TVET, ASEAN Confederation of Employers.
Another recommendation put forward was to elevate discussions on MRS to higher-level ASEAN meetings to continue building on the milestones recently achieved and share the achievements from the MRS Pilot Implementation to help replicate MRS among other ASEAN member states.
"MRS is a long-term endeavour and the pilot implementation of the MRS marks only the beginning of this journey. Expanding its implementation to cover other sectors and involve more countries would necessitate continuous dialogues and close coordination at a higher decision-making level within ASEAN to ensure its sustainability," said Rosanna Urdaneta, Deputy Director General of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in the Philippines.
Speaking after the event, Akiko Sakamoto, Regional Skills and Employability Specialist, from ILO also stressed the importance of continuing the work. “Economies in ASEAN are regaining momentum once again following the pandemic making this period critical to jump start the free flow of skilled workers within the region. There is a continued need to support migrant workers through training, reskilling and up-skilling, and to improve the quality of competency-based skills training, recognition, certification and provisions for better social protection.”
