The OECD’s Regional Policy Network on Education and Skills aims to foster knowledge exchange in support of national growth and regional integration. The Network encourages a whole-of-government approach to formulating and implementing sound skills policies. It draws on the growing participation by Southeast Asian countries in the OECD’s education surveys and local job creation policy reviews, which provide valuable comparative data and analysis that can help countries in the region build more efficient and effective employment and skills systems.

1. TVET for Disadvantaged Group
in Laos
Soulikhamkone Sisoulath
Director, VEDI

2. Overview
• Policy Framework
• Current Status
• Issues and future challenges
• The way forwards

3. Kindergarten
(3 Years)
Lower Secondary Level (4 years)
Upper Secondary Level (3 years)
Primary Level (5 Years)
PreEdu.PrimaryEducationSecondaryEducationTertiaryEducation
1231234567891011121234512
Age<66789101112131415161718192021222324>23
FORMAL EDUCATION NON-FORMAL E.
123
WORLD OF WORK
Bachelor
Regular
program
≥ 4Y
Associate Diploma
(2-3 Y for regular prog.
≤ 1.5Y for continuing
program)
Master
≥2Y
Ph.D.
≥ 3Y
Bachelor Degree
(continuing
Program ≤ 1.5Y)
Primary Level P 1-3
(12 month)
Lower Sec. Level
G 6-9 (1,5 Y)
Upper Sec. Level
G 10-12 (1,5 Y)
Structure of Present Education System of Laos
Basic Education Stream
TVET Stream
Academic or Higher
Education Stream
VE-
Certificate
(9+3)
IVET-Certificate III (12 m)
IVET-Certificate II (+6m)
IVET-Certificate I (6m)
TE-Diploma
(Regular
Program +2)
VE-Diploma
(continuing
Program 1 Y)
High TVE
Diploma 2 YHigh TVE
Diploma
(regular
Program 3Y)

4. TVET Law
NVQF Qualification Entry requirements Duration of training
Level
1
Certificate I Primary education or equivalent
and higher
3-6 months
Level
2
Certificate II Primary education or equivalent
and higher
After Certificate I: 6 months
1 year
Level
3
Certificate III Lower secondary or equivalent
and higher
After Certificate II: 1 year
After Lower Secondary: Min. 2
years
Level
4
Diploma Lower secondary or equivalent
and higher
After Certificate III: Min. 1 year
After Lower Secondary: Min. 3
years
After Upper Secondary: Min. 2
years
Level
5
High Diploma Upper secondary or equivalent
or higher or diploma
After Certificate III: Min 3 years
After Diploma: 1-2 years
After Upper secondary: 3 years

5. Target 2020
Improve the TVET governance
structures (2 focal area)
Formulate policy and
TVET governance instruments
(3 focal area)
3. Improve TVET-
Management
Develop Information System
of TVET (4 focal areas)
Provide pre-service and in-service
training and professional
development of TVET Personals
(3 focal areas)
Implement Quality Assurance System
(4 focal areas)
2. Improve Quality
and Relevance
Promote all society and
Economic sectors involved in
TVET development (3 focal areas)
Establish, improve and
expand TVET capacities
(5 focal areas)
1. Equitable Access
into TVET
Improve relevant TVET approaches
(5 focal areas)

6. Equitable Access Program
Strategy 1. Establish, improve and expand TVET
capacities
• Focus Area
1. Strengthen the TVET schools
2. Upgrade the Technical-Vocational School to the level
of College.
3. Expand vocational disciplines which will be the
potential of the economy
4. Establish the technical–vocational school/centre in
some districts
5. Develop training schemes for disadvantaged groups

7. Current Development
• Vocational School for the Disables:
Established in 2002 under the Charity Saint Paul de Chart, 3 years Vocational programs (Cerificate
Level) in: Motor bike repair, furniture, dress making, IT, accounting and financing
• STVET Project: 2012-2015
– Voucher for 4800 students at C3 in 4 trades: Basic Business, Furniture, Mechanic and
Construction (totally 15 jobs)
– Stipend: 800 USD to 850 USD/academic year (10 months)
– C1 and C2 curriculum developed
• VELA/GIZ: 2014-2016
– Curriculum development 10 jobs C1 and C2 (e.g: one stroke motor, brick laying, furniture,
cooking, horticulture, animal breeding, electric installation, dress making)
– Training of Trainers and assessors
– 10,300 people for C1 and 1,500 people for C2
– Stipend: 500,000 LAK/month for 3 months
• IV-Japan: since 2005
– Basic 3 months, intermediate 2 months and advanced skill training (OJT) 6 months
– Fees: 100, 000 LAK/month for basic and intermediate course 80,000 LAK/month for advanced
course; dormitory 1,000 day)
– Training fields: cooking, Hairdressing and Dress making
(1 USD= 8,000 LAK)

8. Current…
• DVV/Germany:
– Partner: 10 IVET schools throughout the nation
– Training mode: mobile training team (MTT)
– Targets: 1-2 villages per province where school located (under government
priority)
– Period: 1 week,
– Field: electric installation, motor repairs, horticulture, fish and frog breeding,
growing mushrooms etc.
– Stipend 500,000 LAK/person
– Training of 25 trainers (plan)
• NFE/MOES:
– Basic Skill Training in: horticulture, fish and animal breeding, mushroom
growing etc.
– Period: 2 days to 3 weeks
– Fees: exempted
– Venue: Regional NFE training centers (5 centers)

9. issues
• Access issues: poverty, low education
background, living condition, believes and
culture, infrastructure (classroom, lift, toilette …),
• Quality & Relevance: education pathway, skill
recognition, imitation rather creation
• Regulatory framework: social value, setting up
self-employed business, support of micro finance
scheme
• Sustainability: mainly foreign aids

10. Future Challenges: implementation of
Education Policy
• “By 2030 all Lao people to have equitable access to
quality education so all Lao people are disciplined,
healthy, knowledgeable, capable, qualified and
professional in self and national sustainable
development and in order to align and compete with
the countries in the region and in the world.”
1. Completely eradicate illiteracy, including across all ethnic
groups, by supporting relevant lifelong learning.
2. Broadly expand, strengthen and promote secondary
education, technical and vocational education and
training (TVET) and higher education to respond to the
future demands of the labour market and to improve
economic outputs.

11. Some indicative targets: Challenges
– Gross Enrolment rate of 5 years old increases from 66% in 2015 to
80%.
– Grade 1 Repetition decreases from 15% in 2015 to 3%.
– Grade 1 dropout decreases from 9 % in 2015to 3%.
– Survival rate to grade 5 reaches 95%.
– Primary completion rate increases from 78% in 2015 to 95%.
– Assessed learning outcomes increase over 2009 measures.
– Transition rate from grade 5 to grade 6 increases from 91% to 97%.
– Lower secondary GER increases from 78% to 85%.
– Transition of M4 students to TVET is 10% and to upper secondary
education 80%.
– Upper secondary GER increase from 45.7% in 2015 to 60%.
– Transition of M7 students to public and private TVET reaches 60%,
to university 20% and 20% self-employment.

12. The way forwards
• Training of competent Trainers
• Joint hands between TVET and NFE centers
• Expanding Mobile Training Team
• Motivation scheme: “one hour one skill”, “pay
less earn more”
• Further Strengthening IVET concepts: “one
stop service”
• Strengthening the community training center

13. Thanks
for Your
Attention