Skills recognition

Lao People’s Democratic Republic enhances skills standards for bricklaying and plastering to align with international standards

The ILO/Korea Partnership Programme’s mutual recognition of skills (MRS) initiative supports mobility for semi-skilled migrant workers in the ASEAN region.

14 June 2024

VIENTIANE (ILO News) – The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is strengthening its capacity to develop and enhance its National Competency Standards, helping facilitate migrant workers' mobility in the region.

A “Mutual Recognition of Skills Capacity Building Workshop for Bricklaying and Plastering for Lao PDR”, held in Vientiane on 2-5 April 2024, discussed the national skills standard and certification system for bricklaying and plastering in Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

Organized by the ILO’s Improved Mechanisms for Skills Recognition and TVET Digitisation in ASEAN project, the workshop provided capacity-building support to Lao People’s Democratic Republic to enhance its National Competency Standards on the two occupations to align with international standards.

The enhanced skills standards and certification system will increase the readiness of Lao People’s Democratic Republic to implement the MRS process with Thailand, focusing on bricklaying and plastering. The MRS initiative, supported by the Government of the Republic of Korea through the ILO/Korea Partnership Programme, aims to achieve the ASEAN Economic Community’s vision of a freer flow of migrant works in the region, which would allow for better access to decent work and equal opportunities for migrant workers.

Taking part were technical experts from the Skills Development Institute (SDI) under the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MOLSW) in Lao People’s Democratic Republic and the Department of Skill Development (DSD) under Thailand’s Ministry of Labour (MOL).

“The workshop is necessary and timely given that Lao People’s Democratic Republic recently promulgated the National Competency Standards for the two occupations and, as the current ASEAN Chair, is developing the ASEAN Declaration for Skills Mobility, Recognition and Development for Migrant Workers,” said Akiko Sakamoto, Specialist in Skills and Employability at the ILO.

The workshop saw participants identify gaps and develop a work plan that is to be taken by both MOLSW and MOL to ensure that Lao People’s Democratic Republic has a robust skills testing system.