BANGKOK, May 26, 2015 - Businesses in the Lower Mekong say post-secondary schools are not adequately preparing graduates for the local job market, according to a new survey conducted by a United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-supported project.

The survey found that only 16.4 percent of participating businesses thought schools were doing a good job equipping students with relevant work skills for today's job market needs. The study analyzed hiring trends in science, technology, engineering, math, accounting and tourism (STEM+AT) as gleaned from survey responses from some of the largest industries in the region.

"This is the first broad-based regional assessment supported by USAID that identifies key skill sets that leading industries require and which instructors will need to help job seekers bridge the gap between education and employment," said Michael Yates, director of USAID's Regional Development Mission for Asia. "USAID will use this information to promote economic opportunity for job seekers."

Conducted in Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, the survey also found that businesses in the region want job seekers to participate in internships and work-based learning programs to help close the gap in work skills and professional readiness.

Information from the survey, collected as part of the USAID Connecting the Mekong through Education and Training (USAID COMET) project, will be used to design teacher training for regional technical colleges and universities and other work-based learning programs. The goal of the project is to strengthen the competitiveness of the region's workforce by providing students and job seekers with relevant skills -- and opportunities to practice those skills -- in a real workplace setting. 

The study revealed that while 80 percent of businesses surveyed say they want to hire new workers, they need workers with skills in information and communication technology (ICT), communication, teamwork and leadership. 

The project staff will conduct teacher trainings at universities and vocational colleges over the next five years to strengthen workforce readiness for young adults in the Lower Mekong region.  This approach has been welcomed during a recent pilot training event held at Mahidol University.

"We must train teachers to change their mind-sets and techniques in order to keep up with the dynamic environment in the classrooms and the workplace," said Professor Worawit Israngkul, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University. "This teacher training content is very relevant, important, and timely – we need to encourage instructors to use these active teaching methods to engage the students." 

USAID COMET plans to work with more than 100 selected technical colleges and universities in Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam over the next five years. 

Access the full report here: http://mekongskills2work.org/sites/mekongskills2work.org/files/full_reports/USAID%20COMET%20Baseline%20Assessment%20AID-486-C-14-00001.pdf  

Baseline Executive Summary: http://mekongskills2work.org/sites/mekongskills2work.org/files/executive_summaries/USAID%20COMET%20Baseline%20Executive%20Summary%20AID-486-C-14-00001.pdf