The document is an annual report from October 2015 to 2016 for the USAID Connecting the Mekong through Education and Training project. Some key points: - The project established the MekongSkills2Work network of 12 Mekong Learning Centers in universities and vocational schools across 5 countries to address skills gaps in the labor market. - Over the year, the project trained over 100 instructors, reached over 32,000 students, and conducted over 80 workforce development initiatives. - The project also launched the MekongSkills2Work online portal, released a labor market assessment report, and organized the first annual leadership summit for the Mekong Learning Centers. - Partnerships

1. USAID CONNECTINGTHE MEKONGTHROUGH
EDUCATION ANDTRAINING
Let’s Connect
ANNUAL REPORT | OCTOBER 2015 - 2016
asean

2. 2
USAID Connecting the Mekong through
Education and Training
YEARTWO ANNUAL REPORT 2016
SUBMISSION DATE:
CONTRACT NUMBER:
ACTIVITY START AND END DATE:
COR NAME:
SUBMITTED BY:
NOVEMBER 8, 2016
AID-486-C-14-00001
OCTOBER 6, 2014TO OCTOBER 5, 2019
SYLVIE DOUTRIAUX
DR. MICHAEL CALVANO
Education Development Center, Inc.
1025Thomas Jefferson Street NW, Suite 700W
Washington, DC 20001
Email: MCalvano@edc.org
This document was produced for review by the United States International Development Regional Mission for Asia (USAID/RDMA).

3. 5
CONTENTS
Why Connect? Project Overview 6
Key Achievements 7
Highlights in Data 8
Engagement beyond Expectations 9
Analyzing the Landscape 10
Building the MS2W Network 11
MekongSkills2Work Sourcebook & Support 13
Strengthening Partnerships 14
Opening the Door to Innovation 16
Digitizing the Network 18
Measuring Results 19
Lesson Learned & Future Forward 20

4. 6
Why Connect? Project Overview
Click the image on the right to watch
why we do what we do
As the first LMI signature project to be
endorsed by Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN), this support will further
LMI-ASEAN cooperation on shared goals
in connectivity and education in the Lower
Mekong sub-region.
MS2W also supports the ASEAN Economic
Community’s goal for greater integration,
helping to deepen engagement of USAID
COMET target countries in key growth
The United States Agency for International
Development (USAID) Connecting the
Mekong through Education and Training
(USAID COMET) project is a five-year,
$12.3-million workforce development
program under the Lower Mekong Initiative
(LMI), working with youth, universities,
vocational institutions, and industries.
USAID COMET, through the
MekongSkills2Work (MS2W) Network,
fosters economic growth in Cambodia, Laos,
Myanmar,Thailand andVietnam.
USAID COMET was launched as part of
President Obama’s Young Southeast Asia
Leadership Initiative (YSEALI).
Improve youth
employment with
market-driven skills
Promote gender-balanced
employment in key
growth sectors
Increase technology-
based learning solutions
in classrooms
sectors in science, technology, engineering,
mathematics, accounting, and tourism
(STEM+AT) through increasing availability of
skilled labor and competitiveness of industries.
USAID COMET aims to:

5. 7
Key Achievements
The project established the MekongSkills2work
Network with 12 Mekong Learning Centers (MLCs)
as the core leadership institutions in the Lower
Mekong countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar,
Thailand and Vietnam), and the primary nodes
in the MekongSkills2Work Network. These lead
grantees were trained on the MekongSkills2Work
Sourcebook and model, and continue to engage in
ongoing capacity building activities with the USAID
COMET project.
The project convened the first annual Leadership
Summit that confirmed the birth of the powerful
human and knowledge network that will address
critical skills challenges across the Lower Mekong
Sub-region. During the Summit, the MLCs received
their first in-depth exposure to key elements of their
grants and spent a week in an intensive training-of-
trainers (TOT) workshop covering blended learning,
improved pedagogy, project-based learning, and
student-centered assessment.
USAID COMET organized and managed the
technical program for the YSEALI World of Food
Innovation Challenge 2016, and coordinated all the
partner inputs. As a part of the Challenge process,
the top ten youth teams from eight ASEAN
countries were invited to a three-day boot camp
in Singapore.
This event was sponsored by the US State
Department, USAID, with industry support from
Cisco Systems, Intel Corporation, and Wedu, a
social enterprise for women’s empowerment.
Top three teams presented at the ASEAN
Committee of Science and Technology (COST)
Meeting in Cambodia, and will be attending an
externship in Austin,Texas in 2017.
USAID COMET released the 2016 Annual Labor
Market Assessment report in February 2016.
The study highlights the STEM+AT skills gaps in
high-demand industries, gender balance in key
growth sectors, and work-based learning programs
that are implemented in the Lower Mekong Sub-
region.
The MekongSkills2Work portal was launched on
September 30, 2016.
It serves as a dynamic portal that integrates
professional development services and interactive
platforms for youth, instructors, and industry
partners.
TRAINED OUR
CHAMPIONS
OPENED THE DOOR TO
INNOVATION
SCOPED THE LABOR
LANDSCAPE
DIGITIZED THE
NETWORK
What we have done inYear 2: October 2015-2016

6. 8
Highlights in Data Outputs against Targets
150% of our target Instructors are
using the MS2W portal
AnnualTarget: 48 | Actual Achievement: 72
80
Conducted over
AnnualTarget: 63
Achievement against target: 120%
Workforce Development
Initiatives
407%
Reached
AnnualTarget: 8,000
Actual Achievement: 32,553
of target University Students
120%
Reached
AnnualTarget: 500
Actual Achievement: 1,794
of target Vocational Students
100
Trained over
AnnualTarget: 16
Achievement against target: 631%
University
Instructors

7. 9
60,000
Every month, we are reaching & engaging over
320,000fans on the Lower Mekong Initiative
Facebook Page That’s over 615% of our AnnualTarget of online reach & interactions!
interactions on social media and online platforms
Engagement beyond Expectations
Building an online community
We are communicating with over

8. 10
Analyzing the Landscape
Exploring Lower Mekong labor market needs for
targeted solutions in the sub-region
To keep current on evolving
labor market trends, USAID
COMET partnered with
Mahidol University to conduct
the 2016 Regional STEM+AT
Labor Market Assessment. The
study uncovered a number of
key findings that are helping to
inform the development of the
MekongSkills2Work Network.
Key growth industries in the
Lower Mekong include tourism,
construction and agriculture
and in 2015, employers in the
manufacturing, electronics and
tourism sectors hired the most
technical staff.
Seventy one percent of
employers surveyed are
looking to hire new staff.These
employers are especially looking
tohireemployeeswithsoftskills
– those work readiness skills
needed to be effective in the
workplace, such as teamwork,
adaptability, communication
and interpersonal skills.
Given the rapid economic
growth occurring in the Lower
Mekong region, these types
of skills help to ensure that
employees can keep pace with
new demands and acquire new
skills with relative ease.
The study also examines how
education can be better linked
to employment and concludes
that work-based learning is an
important means of promoting
these linkages and ensuring
students graduate with skills
that align with industry needs.
DOWNLOAD
THE FIVE-PAGE
INFOGRAPHIC
REPORT HERE

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Building the MS2W Network
Connecting leading education institutions in the Lower
Mekong for workforce development
Developing strong institutional leadership
drives USAID COMET’s work with the
Mekong Learning Centers. Early this year,
the project worked closely with the five
Education Advisory Institutions (EAIs)
to assess their early adoption of the
MekongSkills2Work Sourcebook.
USAID COMET’s experience with the
EAI’s informed the design of our strategy
for replicating and scaling up various
project components.
INTRODUCING THE 12 MEKONG
LEARNING CENTERS
In March 2016, the project launched the
MekongSkills2Work (MS2W) Network,
FINDING OUR CHAMPIONS
Institute ofTechnology Cambodia
University of South-East Asia
National University of Laos
Lao National Institute of
Tourism and Hospitality
Mahidol University
MaptaphutTechnical
College
Ho Chi Minh
City University of
Technology and
Education
University of Economics –
The University of Danang
Hanoi University
of Science and
Technology
Hue Industrial College
The University of
Danang
a workforce development leadership
network in the Lower Mekong Sub-
region.
The Network is led by twelve Mekong
Learning Centers (MLCs), including
three leading TVET institutions and nine
prominent universities across the five
project countries.
The MLCs vied for membership in the
MS2W Network through a competitive
grants solicitation process. The MLCs
are learning to develop and implement
curricula utilizing learner-centered
instructional practices and technology-
based learning solutions to close the skills
gap identified by the project’s Regional
Labor Market Assessment.
University of
Technology
Yatanarpon Cyber
City

10. 12
Training the Champions
Building leadership - training instructors to become
leaders in workforce developemnt
The inaugural annual MLC
Leadership Summit took place
in Bangkok on March 25, 2016.
The event brought together
key USAID COMET partners,
promoted MLC leadership and
networking, and the sharing of
information and collaboration
among the MLCs, industry
partners and regional networks.
The Summit also launched the
MekongSkills2Work Network
with participating institutions.
Over 100 participants engaged in
activities highlighting institutional
leadership, the regional labor
market, industry-education
institution linkage models, and
THE 1ST LEADERSHIP
SUMMIT: INITIATING THE
COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
To provide administrators
and instructors with hands-
on support on how to use the
Sourcebook, USAID COMET
organized a Training of Trainers
(TOT) Workshop on March 28–
TRAINING OF TRAINERS
WORKSHOP
Throughout the year, USAID
COMET conducted an in-depth
program of technical and follow-
up support, including site visits
to each partner institution and
ongoing support for instructors,
to ensure the smooth
implementation of the USAID
COMET grants program and the
MekongSkills2Work Sourcebook.
ONGOING TECHNICAL
SUPPORT
MORE PHOTOS
ON FLICKR HERE
partner industry showcases.
Additionally, USAID COMET
conducted an orientation on the
MekongSkills2Work approach
for a team from each MLC.
These teams will serve as the
core of a community of practice
to lead the adoption and
institutionalization of the new
pedagogical approaches both
within their own institutions and
within the Network.
April 1, 2016. Lead instructor
training focused on project-based
learning, instructional design, and
learner-centered assessment.
Training for administrators, in
turn, focused on community
of practice, building industry
partnerships and linking
curriculum to industry needs.

11. 13
Fostering Instructional Innovation
MekongSkills2Work Sourcebook & Support
The MekongSkills2Work Sourcebook:A Guide for
Facilitators is designed to build leadership capacity
in three core areas:
1) Workforce development,
2) Pedagogy
3) Technology
ADOPTING THE MEKONGSKILLS2WORK
SOURCEBOOK
Focal Points are project staff who serve as the
primary contact for their assigned institution. Focal
Points are responsible for coordinating between MLCs
and USAID COMET, overseeing MLC performance
and deliverables, and ensuring MLCs receive the
support they need from the project.
Volunteer in Asia (VIA) Fellows act as
country managers in each of our five project countries.
In June 2016, the fiveVIA Fellows assumed their roles
supporting the project and MLCs in institutionalizing
the project’s training approach, fostering partnerships
with institution leaders, building linkages with industry,
and managing data collection for the project’s
monitoring and evaluation surveys.
English Language Fellows (ELFs) provide
instructors with instructional support and coaching.
The five ELFs visit their designated institutions
biannually while class is in session, observing each of
the four lead instructors, utilizing project observation
and feedback protocols.
MEKONG LEARNING CENTER
SUPPORT TEAM
USAID COMET is applying a blended,
three-pronged model of online and site-
based support, as well as creating cross-
institutional support networks, in order to
support instructors’ adoption of the new
teaching model.
Support within each institution is provided
through activities such as learning walks,peer
observations and open classrooms. USAID
COMET provides online support by hosting
and organizing online office hours, group
discussions, mini courses, training sessions
and learning teams.
ELFs and USAID COMET staff provide face-
to-face support by conducting classroom
observations at least once per semester.
ONGOING SUPPORT FOR
INSTRUCTORS
The Sourcebook includes 11 toolkits with stan-
dards, strategies, resources and tools to help ad-
ministrators and instructors develop curricula that
effectively prepare students to meet labor market
demands.
USAID COMET established an MLC SupportTeam
to oversee grant activities and provide MLCs with
regular assistance.The multi-layered MLC Support
Team is comprised of the following members:

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Strengthening Partnerships (I)
From transnational corporations to local businesses, technology giants to social
enterprises empowering women – the MekongSkills2Work network fosters
partnerships to maximize impact
Partnerships are the key to USAID
COMET’s success; and our efforts
reflect this. The project focused on
three types of partnerships this year
– multinational corporate,
institutional (VIA and ELF fellows,
as previously mentioned), and local
business partnerships.
The project launched important and
high profile activities with multinational
corporate partners such as Cisco,
Intel, Microsoft, and Google—
including the YSEALI World of Food
Innovation Challenge (discussed in
detail later in this report).
MLCs have developed over 270
local business partnerships with
companies such as Arc HUB PNH, the
first 3D printing solutions business in
Cambodia, and with Axon Active, an
off-shore software developer,in Danang,
Vietnam. MLCs use their collaboration
with industry partners to enhance their
work-based learning opportunities
and adjust their curricula to better
address critical skill gaps. This year’s key
partnership highlights include:
A CELEBRATION OF WOMEN IN
TECHNOLOGY IN THE LOWER
MEKONG COUNTRIES
The US Presidential Science Envoy for
the Lower Mekong River Countries, Dr.
Geraldine Richmond, worked with the
USAID COMET project to organize
the workshop “Women in Tech: A
Celebration of Women in Technology
in the Lower Mekong Countries,” in
January, 2016.
The workshop aimed to empower and
support women in the STEM workforce
with private sector support from
Intel, Wedu, Cisco, and Microsoft. The
project brought 27 female science and
technologystudentsfromtenuniversities
to participate in the workshop in Ho
Chi Minh City,Vietnam.

13. 15
Strengthening Partnerships (II)
LOW-CONNECTIVITY DEVICE
TO SUPPORT LEARNERS AND
LEARNING
Access to the internet is indispensable
in modern education. In much of the
Lower Mekong, poor connectivity
constrains modernization and inhibits
instructional innovation.
The project worked with Google to
try out a solution for poor Internet
access by piloting a prototype, cache
server, or a “low connectivity device,”
designed to enable institutions and
instructors to store, manage, and
access digital content in low bandwidth
environments.
VIETNAM CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY AND
MICROSOFT CORPORATION
VIETNAM TRAINING OF TRAINERS
Microsoft’s YouthSpark Initiative and the
Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (VCCI) organized a workshop
for 25 participants from vocational
colleges, NGOs and private training
institutions in Hanoi during April, 2016.
USAID COMET’s Training Manager
delivered a one-day training session
focused on participatory learning and
facilitation techniques at the event.
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
DEVELOPMENT:TRACKING,
REPORTING AND EVALUATING
The project has developed more than
330 partnerships in eight countries,
Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar,
Singapore, Thailand, the United States,
andVietnam since project startup.
The size and importance of these
partnerships varies based on a
multitude of factors. Since most private
sector partners prefer to keep their
monetary investments in collaboration
confidential, USAID COMET is
developing partnership tracking
indicators to capture the value of
collaboration which is not solely based
on arbitrary monetary estimates.
The project’s approach uses more
indicative, and less sensitive, factors
such as the frequency of engagement
with the partner, and the level and
type of engagement. During the next
year, USAID COMET will develop
partnership profiles for each of our
main industry partners using these
indicators as the basis for the profile.
Google installed and tested the device
at the Lao National Academy for
Tourism and Hospitality (LANITH).
Results indicated that this device can
help alleviate low internet connectivity
and significantly enhance web access
experiences.
Google further supported the use
of the cache server with training
on Google Apps for Education.
USAID COMET and Google
are now outlining next steps for
integrating Google technology into
other MekongSkills2Work Network
institutions.

14. 16
Innovative ideas to
solve food issues in
ASEAN
Technology -based
solutions
Demonstration that
ideas are viable,
sustainable, & scalable
Follow #FoodChallenge2016 and watch the video below for more information:
YSEALI WORLD OF FOOD INNOVATION CHALLENGE
President Obama announced the YSEALI World of Food Innovation Challenge in February
2016, inviting youth to innovate solutions to some of the region’s most complex food security
challenges.The Innovation Challenge looked for:
INNOVATION
Opening
the
Door
to

15. 17
45,000
With over
675,000Reach with the #FoodChallenge2016 campaign
Facebook Engagements throughout the Challenge
Engaging
ASEAN
Youth with
Innovation
Social media engagement
from theYSEALI World of
Food Innovation Challenge
On the LMI Facebook alone, we had over

16. 18
Digitizing the Network
The new MekongSkills2Work Network
portal provides instructors, students, and
industry partners throughout the Lower
Mekong, and beyond, with access to a
wide variety of tool and resources that
support regional workforce development.
The portal will help us support the
improvement of online communities of
practice that play a critical role in building
connections for workforce development
throughout the region. Eventually, the
portal will serve as a digital workforce
development hub—providing instructors
with online tools to connect industry
partners to institutions and learners,
and linking youth to valuable, up-to-date
career and labor market information.
The project is in discussion with existing
value-added service providers to link
their services to our platform through
APIs (application programming interfaces)
which will provide seamless links to
mature online services that support
the MekongSkills2Work program and
network. A more dynamic and interactive
web presence was a key focus of the
project this year.
The new MekongSkills2Work Network
portal provides instructors, students, and
industry partners throughout the Lower
Mekong, and beyond, with access to a
wide variety of tool and resources that
support regional workforce development.
The portal will help us support the
improvement of online communities
of practice that play a critical role in
building connections for workforce
development throughout the region.
Eventually, the portal will serve as a
digital workforce development hub
— providing instructors with online
tools to connect industry partners to
institutions and learners, and linking
youth to valuable, up-to-date career
and labor market information.

17. 19
Measuring Results
Using evidence-based approaches throughout project implementation
INSTITUTIONAL PROFILE
SURVEY FINDS WIDE GAPS IN
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
AND GENDER DISPARITY
An integral part of USAID COMET’s
approach since inception, evidence-
based decisions will continue to
ensure our activities directly relate to
the needs of the Lower Mekong sub-
region. The project regularly conducts
studies and surveys to inform the
direction, and test the effectiveness, of
our activities.
The USAID COMET Institutional
Profile Survey Study shed light on a
number of gaps among universities
andTVET institutions in the five Lower
Mekong Countries—these gaps speak
to the availability of educational
resources, access to communication
technologies, and institutional
provision of employment support.
terms of fostering gender-balanced
employment and investing in
technology infastructure.
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT SURVEY
The project aims to equip youth with
employabilityskillsthatpreparesthem
to find quality work after graduation.
In order to find out if this assumption
is true, the Youth Employment
Survey (YES) was conducted to
measure the employment outcomes
of the graduating students in STEM
+ AT in the Lower Mekong Region.
It should be noted that the results
are drawn from preliminary data
from theYES at the point of student
graduation. As students were not
given enough time to look for work
in their relevant fields of education,
it is expected that the rates of
employment will be low across the
student populations. USAID COMET
has designed a follow-up survey that
will be implemented 6 months after
graduation.
The full YES Baseline Data Report is
expected to be completed by June
2017. This report will provide more
insights into the types and quality of
employment of recent STEM + AT
graduates in the sub-region.
OUTCOME EVALUATION
To improve youth employability, the
project aims to assist instructors
on pedagogy and connecting with
industry partners.
ONLINE DATABASE
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
To support the collection of the
project’s performance indicator data
from MLCs,the project established a
web database management system.
This system allows MLC
administrators, instructors, and
learners to create personal profiles
and submit indicator data with ease.
The project will soon connect the
database system—completed and
actively in use since August 2016—
to the MekongSkills2Work Portal.
When it comes to university support
of employment and internship
opportunities, students in Vietnam,
Thailand and Cambodia appear to
have a leg up on their peers in the
region.
In terms of gender balance, the
contrast between female participation
in Myanmar and Cambodia is stark. In
Myanmar, 78% of full-time instructors
are women, whereas in Cambodia,
women make up only 18% of
instructors.
Theproject’sgrantsprogrambenefited
from this study as a preliminatry
database for creating eligibility critiera.
More importantly, this survey helps
the project make informed decisions
on where to focus our resources
to make the maximum impact in
In order to assess the extent to
which the project achieves its
objective, an outcome evaluation
study was designed to be
conducted annually to evaluate
MLCs in their institutionalization
and partnerships management.

18. 20
Lesson Learned & Future Forward
TAILORING SUPPORT
The current USAID COMET model
emphasizes program reach through an
ambitious plan to increase the number
of institutions and students in the
MekongSkills2Work Network.
After working with the 12 Mekong
Learning Centers (MLCs) for some six
months, it has become clear that the
MLCs are not yet ready or comfortable
toexpandandsharethemodelinternally,
intra-institutionally, or externally with
other institutions.This is largely due to
the following factors:
• MLC teams have yet to fully master the
USAID COMET model;
• Though many MLCs have started
to share and build ownership for the
model within their own institutions,
intra-institutionalization is not yet at an
adequate level; and
• Without a government mandate or
resource allocation, there is a sense of
apprehension among MLCs to share the
model beyond their own institutions.
As all 12 MLCs are clearly in different
places with different strengths and
capacity building needs,USAID COMET
will focus on working with each MLC
on an individual basis.
Moving forward, the pace of scale up
will be decided by the skills and level of
support needed by each MLC team.
SHIFTING GEARS - ENSURING
SUSTAINABILITY AND
SCALABILITY
Towards the end of YearTwo,the project
and USAID RDMA discussed shifting
gears to increase focus on deepening
program quality with a corresponding
reduced focus on program reach.
One of the most common errors in
implementing a sharing—or cascade—
approach is that those who share the
various initiatives often do so before
they possess the right level of mastery.
Each time sharing takes place, there is
less control over quality and consistency.
This reality often leads to the transfer
of a “watered down” version of the
original program.
The discussion that follows thus presents
a reconceptualization of the USAID
COMET work program, to allow more
time and support for MLC capacity, and
confidence building.
Moving forward, the project proposes
further strengthening the capacity of
MLC instructors and systems to ensure
institutional change within each MLC
prior to sharing the USAID COMET
model with others.
In tandem, MLCs will acquaint their
governments with the USAID COMET
model. USAID COMET will guide MLCs
and government counterparts as they
jointly define mechanisms for sharing
the model within their country, so that
when scale up does happen, it happens
with both government approval and
support.
INSTITUTIONALIZATION MAP
USAID COMET will continue to
promote a sense of ownership and
sustainability through enhanced
institutionalization activities.
These will include the development of
MLC-specific institutional maps, which
will indicate institutionalization status,
recommend steps for building youth
employability capacity, and guide how to
reach out to government institutions.To
ensure the buy-in of key stakeholders,
project activities will involve MLC
decision makers and representatives
from related government institutions.
MLC GRANTS PROGRAM:
PHASE TWO
Near the end of the first phase of the
grants program, USAID COMET will
review each MLC’s performance to
measure their capacity to carry out the
next phase of activities. Based on the
review results, the project will award
PhaseTwo grants to MLCs.
This next phase will focus on deepening
MLC mastery of the USAID COMET
model while emphasizing outreach
to governments, regional associations,
and interested donors. These outreach
efforts will create an important
foundation for scale up when the MLCs
turn their attention to external sharing.

19. 21
Gear up! Future Forward
ONLINE PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT MATERIAL
PACKAGE
USAID COMET will prepare a package
of professional development materials
and deliver a series of blended learning
courses to ready instructors to become
professional development providers
for their peers. This professional
development approach will be taught
through online training and reinforced
through classroom activities aimed
at improving instructors’ mastery of
Sourcebook content and teaching
methodologies.
Each of the professional development
approach’s three levels progressively
cover more sophisticated Sourcebook
(SB) content and facilitation skills.
Successful completion of one level is a
pre-requisite for continuing to the next
level.The three stages are as follows:
NEW TOOLKIT:
WORK-BASED LEARNING
USAID COMET is developing an
Internship Toolkit that will cover work-
basedlearningbestpracticesthroughout
the key phases: planning, preparation,
pre-placement experiences, internship
placement, and post-placement. USAID
COMET will work with each MLC to
strengthen their internship programs to
ensure students participate in relevant
work-based learning experiences.
SUMMER INSTITUTE
The Summer Institute will be a
two-week intensive professional
development experience that will
enable MLC teams to deepen their
understanding of the project-oriented
approach, design activities for their
classrooms, demonstrate techniques
with colleagues and discuss internship
programs and how they can be better
integrated into teaching approaches.
This type of intensive, collaborative
training experience will strengthen intra-
and cross-institutional relationships
and allow for more informal learning
opportunities. Through participation in
the institute, MLC teams will improve
their mastery of the core content and
their ability to facilitate professional
development experiences.
1
Intro
workshops;
Workshop
mechanics
2
Intermediate
SB content;
Workshop
facilitation
3
Advanced
SB content;
Coaching,
Mentoring

20. 22
USAID COMET will continue a two-
pronged approach to developing
industry partnerships, characterized
by project-level regional partnerships,
primarily with multinational companies,
and MLC/MPI-level local partnerships,
with companies in close proximity to
the project’s partner institutions.
USAID COMET—through the use
of its “Building Industry Partnerships,”
“Linking Curriculum to Industry
Needs,” and “Work-Based Learning”
MekongSkills2Work Sourcebook
toolkits—will support MLCs as they
establish these essential industry
partnerships.
The sharing of best practices, common
challenges, and solutions to partnership
development among MLCs will ensure
that a community of practice is in place
to support the institutionalization of this
key initiative.
ENHANCING THE
MEKONGSKILLS2WORK
NETWORK PORTAL
In the coming months, the project plans
to collaborate with regional career
service providers to offer a more
complete career service solution to our
target audience: job seekers, instructors
and industry partners. The project is
also looking to incorporate Edmodo –
an educational website that uses social
networking as an appropriate classroom
tool – into the portal.A career pathway
will be integrated to help jobseekers plan
their career journey as well as access a
variety of relevant online resources and
a dedicated section for industry partners
will provide a platform to support work-
based learning for student users.
BUILDING LINKAGES WITH
INDUSTRY

21. 23
Annex

22. ANNEX I: INDICATORS TABLE
i
No. Indicator
Indicator
Type
Reporting
Frequency
Data
Source
Targets
Cumulative
Result
% cumulative
achievement
against annual
target
NotesLOA Target
Cumulative
Annual
Target
(2016)
Quarterly Result
Q1
(Oct-
Dec)
Q2
(Jan-
Mar)
Q3
(Apr-
Jun)
Q4
(Jul-Sep)
1
Number of workforce
development initiatives
completed as a result of USG
participation in public-private
partnership (standard indicator
#4.6.3-8)
Unit of measurement:
workforce development
initiatives
Disaggregation: none
Outcome
End of
activity
Partner
activity
records
1,219 6 3 14 4 15 47 80 120%
In Q1, 5 EAIs (LANITH, Mahidol,
ITC, UY, and HUST) taught 14
courses in their respective
institutions. Refer to activity
records from the EAI grantees.
In Q2, USAID COMET
organized four events: Women
in Tech in Ho Chi Minh,
Leadership Summit, Orientation
on Project Implementation &
Grant Management, and Training
of Trainers Workshop in
Bangkok. Refer to activity
records.
In Q3, instructors from ITC,
Mahidol and LANITH delivered
MekongSkills2Work Sourcebook
materials into 15 courses. Refer
to lessons planned sent to
USAID COMET.
In Q4, instructors from 12 MLCs
taught 47 courses. Refer to
Course Information in database .

23. ANNEX I: INDICATORS TABLE
ii
No. Indicator
Indicator
Type
Reporting
Frequency
Data
Source
Targets
Cumulative
Result
% cumulative
achievement
against annual
target
NotesLOA Target
Cumulative
Annual
Target
(2016)
Quarterly Result
Q1
(Oct-
Dec)
Q2
(Jan-
Mar)
Q3
(Apr-
Jun)
Q4
(Jul-Sep)
2
Number of persons receiving
new or better employment
(including better self-
employment) as a result of
participation in USG-funded
workforce development project
(standard indicator #4.6.3-2)
Unit of measurement:
Number of STEM+AT learner
Disaggregation: sex, country,
rural/urban
Outcome
Y3
(baseline)
Y4
(midline)
Y5
(endline)
Evaluation
study
TBD TBD N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Baseline target will be reported
in April 2017 after the second
round of baseline data collection
is complete by March 2017.
3
STEM+AT private sector needs
in skilled labor are better met by
training institutions participating
in COMET
Unit of measurement: n/a
Disaggregation: country
Outcome
End of
activity
Evaluation
study
TBD N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
The indicator is expressed as a
narrative description of the
match/mismatch between the
skills taught and the skills in
demand in the target countries in
STEM+AT field. No numeric
targets can be set. However, the
achievements of this indicator
will be reflected in each of the
Labor Market Assessments which
is conducted on an annual basis.

24. ANNEX I: INDICATORS TABLE
iii
No. Indicator
Indicator
Type
Reporting
Frequency
Data
Source
Targets
Cumulative
Result
% cumulative
achievement
against annual
target
NotesLOA Target
Cumulative
Annual
Target
(2016)
Quarterly Result
Q1
(Oct-
Dec)
Q2
(Jan-
Mar)
Q3
(Apr-
Jun)
Q4
(Jul-Sep)
Component 1: Curriculum and Skilled Workforce Portal Develope d
1.1
Number of university/ vocational
school instructors who register
with the USAID COMET online
portal
Unit of measurement: Number
of university/ vocational school
instructors
Disaggregation: Sex, country,
institution type (university or
vocational center)
Outcome Quarterly
Online
portal,
evaluation
408 48 0 0 0 7 2 72 150%
In Q4, 60 instructors and 12
administrators from our MLCs
registered in our online portal.
74% are male. The country
breakdown is 29% Cambodia,
14% Lao PDR, 7% Myanmar,
14% Thailand, and 36% Vietnam.
21% of the registration come
from vocational institutions.
1.2
Number of users reaching
COMET online portal and social
media sites each monthUnit of
measurement: Number of
Facebook (reach, likes, shares,
comments), Twitter (re-tweets,
mentions), YouTube (likes,
shares, comments), Instagram
(likes), and number of web portal
page views
Disaggregation: Target
audience (job seekers, educators,
employers), sex, geographic
location
Outcome Quarterly
Online
portal
100,000 10,000 2 6,024 32,212 41,772 145,822 61,458 615%
In Q1, the result was an average
of 26,024 per month with
78,072 for the period of
October to December.In Q2,
we have a total of 96,637 users
with an average of 32,212 per
month.In Q3, we have a total of
125,317 users with an average of
41,772 per month. In Q4, we
have a total of 437,465 users
with an average of 145,822 per
month. Cumulative result for
FY2016 is 61,458 average
monthly users.

25. ANNEX I: INDICATORS TABLE
v
No. Indicator
Indicator
Type
Reporting
Frequency
Data
Source
Targets
Cumulative
Result
% cumulative
achievement
against annual
target
NotesLOA Target
Cumulative
Annual
Target
(2016)
Quarterly Result
Q1
(Oct-
Dec)
Q2
(Jan-
Mar)
Q3
(Apr-
Jun)
Q4
(Jul-Sep)
2.3
% of vocational institutions that
begin to make use of online
resources as a result of USG
assistance.
Numerator: Number of
vocational institutions that access
the online resources from the
web portal.
Denominator: Total number
of vocational institutions reached
through the USAID COMET
program in the reporting year
that have appropriate
infrastructure to enable access to
online resources through the
portal.
Unit of measurement:
Percent of vocational schools
Disaggregation: country
Output A nnually
School
COE
records
75% 70% 0 % 0% 0 % 100% 100% 143%
In Q4, the web portal was launch
and instructors from all of the 3
vocation institutions registered
and made use of the web portal.
Refer to Instructor and
Administrator Profiles from the
database.

26. ANNEX I: INDICATORS TABLE
vi
No. Indicator
Indicator
Type
Reporting
Frequency
Data
Source
Targets
Cumulative
Result
% cumulative
achievement
against annual
target
NotesLOA Target
Cumulative
Annual
Target
(2016)
Quarterly Result
Q1
(Oct-
Dec)
Q2
(Jan-
Mar)
Q3
(Apr-
Jun)
Q4
(Jul-Sep)
2.4*
Number of vocational school
students reached as a result of
USAID COMET training
Unit of measurement:
Number of participating
vocational school students
Disaggregation: sex, country
*Note that the numbers for this
indicator are under verification
process. Final numbers are subject
to slight changes.
Output Annually
School
records
168,000 1 5500 65 0 0 1729 1794 12%
Refer to Institutional Profile in
the database.
96% are male and 4% are female.
4% are each from Lao and
Thailand while 92% are from
Vietnam.

27. ANNEX I: INDICATORS TABLE
vii
No. Indicator
Indicator
Type
Reporting
Frequency
Data
Source
Targets
Cumulative
Result
% cumulative
achievement
against annual
target
NotesLOA Target
Cumulative
Annual
Target
(2016)
Quarterly Result
Q1
(Oct-
Dec)
Q2
(Jan-
Mar)
Q3
(Apr-
Jun)
Q4
(Jul-Sep)
2.5
Percent of impacted [vocational]
students that receive improved
methods in the delivery of
STEM+AT instruction are from
rural communities in the Lower
Mekong sub-
regionNumerator: Total
number of vocational students
from rural areas that are
instructed by COMET Trained
instructorsDenominator:
Total number of vocational
students instructed through the
use of the STEM+AT modules
developed by COMET Unit of
measurement: Percent of
participating vocational school
studentsDisaggregation: sex,
country
Output A nnually
Evaluation
study
TBD T BD N /A N /A N /A 7 0% 7 0% N /A
Data is calculated from round
one of YES baseline survey. See
the SPSS output table in
Indicator 2.4&3.4 sheet. 74% of
the male students and 36% of
the female students are from
rural.In Lao PDR, 38% are from
rural. In Thailand, 60% are from
rural. In Vietnam, 81% come
from rural area.

28. ANNEX I: INDICATORS TABLE
viii
No. Indicator
Indicator
Type
Reporting
Frequency
Data
Source
Targets
Cumulative
Result
% cumulative
achievement
against annual
target
NotesLOA Target
Cumulative
Annual
Target
(2016)
Quarterly Result
Q1
(Oct-
Dec)
Q2
(Jan-
Mar)
Q3
(Apr-
Jun)
Q4
(Jul-Sep)
2.6
Percent of impacted [vocational]
students that receive improved
methods in the delivery of
STEM+AT instruction are
connected to the online
workforce portal
Numerator: Total number of
vocational students that have
registered on the COMET online
portal
Denominator: Total number
of vocational students instructed
through the use of the
STEM+AT modules developed
by the COMET activity in the
institutions with appropriate
access to online content (e.g.,
computers with internet).
Unit of measurement:
percent of participating
vocational school students
Disaggregation: sex, country,
rural/urban
Output Quarterly
Evaluation
study
75% T BD N /A N /A N /A N /A N /A N /A Target is set to start in Y3.

29. ANNEX I: INDICATORS TABLE
ix
No. Indicator
Indicator
Type
Reporting
Frequency
Data
Source
Targets
Cumulative
Result
% cumulative
achievement
against annual
target
NotesLOA Target
Cumulative
Annual
Target
(2016)
Quarterly Result
Q1
(Oct-
Dec)
Q2
(Jan-
Mar)
Q3
(Apr-
Jun)
Q4
(Jul-Sep)
Component 3: Education of the university students strengthened in STEM+AT field s
3.1
Number of universities with
instructors trained in innovative
approaches to teaching
STEM+AT courses
Unit of measurement:
Number of universities
Disaggregation: country
Output Annually
University
records
15 4 0 9 0 0 9 225%
9 universities (HUST, HCMUTE,
UD, DUE, MU, UTYCC, NUOL,
ITC & USEA) were enrolled in
USAID COMET in March.
2 are from Cambodia, 1 from
Lao PDR, 1 from Myanmar, 1
from Thailand, and 4 from
Vietnam.
3.2
Number of university instructors
that receive training in innovative
approaches to teaching in-
demand skills in targeted
STEM+AT fields as a result of
USG assistance
Unit of measurement:
Number of university instructors
Disaggregation: sex, country
Output Quarterly
University
records
120 1 6 0 44 0 57 101 631%
In Q2, 11 female and 33 male
instructors and administrators
participated in the TOT
workshop in Bangkok. 10 are
from Cambodia, 5 from Lao
PDR, 4 from Myanmar, 5 from
Thailand, and 20 from Vietnam.
In Q4, MU conducted an internal
TOT with 12 M and 5 F
participants in Thailand, and
ITC/USEA conducted a joint
TOT with 30 M and 10 F
participants in Cambodia.
Overall, 75 M and 26 F
instructors were trained. 50% are
from Cambodia, 5% are from
Lao PDR, 4% from Myanmar,
22% from Thailand and 20%
from Vietnam.

30. ANNEX I: INDICATORS TABLE
x
No. Indicator
Indicator
Type
Reporting
Frequency
Data
Source
Targets
Cumulative
Result
% cumulative
achievement
against annual
target
NotesLOA Target
Cumulative
Annual
Target
(2016)
Quarterly Result
Q1
(Oct-
Dec)
Q2
(Jan-
Mar)
Q3
(Apr-
Jun)
Q4
(Jul-Sep)
3.3
Percent of universities offering
job-related, problem-based
STEM+AT modules developed
with private sector participation
Numerator: Number of
universities that offer COMET
developed STEM+AT modules
that have received inputs from
collaborating private sector
partners.
Denominator: Total number
of universities participating in the
COMET program
Unit of measurement:
percent of universities
Disaggregation: country
Output Annually
University
records
0% 0 % N/A N/A N/A 56% 56% 5600%
In Q4, instructors from 5 MLCs
(HUST, HCMUTE, USEA, UD
and DUE) out of 9 reported that
they are teaching courses with
input from private sector. Refer
to Course Information Page in
the database. In Cambodia, 50%
of the universities reported
teaching courses in private sector
inputs.In Lao PDR, 0% offered
such courses.In Myanmar, 0%
offered courses with private
sector input.In Thailand, 0% has
not reported courses with
private sector input.In Vietnam,
100% of the 4 universities had
courses with private sector input.

31. ANNEX I: INDICATORS TABLE
xi
No. Indicator
Indicator
Type
Reporting
Frequency
Data
Source
Targets
Cumulative
Result
% cumulative
achievement
against annual
target
NotesLOA Target
Cumulative
Annual
Target
(2016)
Quarterly Result
Q1
(Oct-
Dec)
Q2
(Jan-
Mar)
Q3
(Apr-
Jun)
Q4
(Jul-Sep)
3.4*
Number of university students in
STEM+AT fields with access to
curriculum that meets the
ASEAN-targeted standards in
STEM+AT sectors as a result of
regional TOT workshops
Unit of measurement:
Number of participating
university students
Disaggregation: sex, country
*Note that the numbers for this
indicator are under verification
process. Final numbers are subject
to slight changes.
Output Annually
University
records
84,000 8 ,000 0 0 0 32,553 32,553 407%
Refer to Indicator 2.4&3.4 sheet
in this file and Institutional Profile
in the database.
83% are male and 17% are
female.
5% are from Cambodia, 17% are
from Laos, 7% from Myanmar,
4% from Thailand and 66% are
from Vietnam.

32. ANNEX I: INDICATORS TABLE
xii
No. Indicator
Indicator
Type
Reporting
Frequency
Data
Source
Targets
Cumulative
Result
% cumulative
achievement
against annual
target
NotesLOA Target
Cumulative
Annual
Target
(2016)
Quarterly Result
Q1
(Oct-
Dec)
Q2
(Jan-
Mar)
Q3
(Apr-
Jun)
Q4
(Jul-Sep)
3.5*
Percent of impacted [university]
students that receive improved
methods in the delivery of
STEM+AT instruction are from
rural communities in the Lower
Mekong sub-region
Numerator: Total number of
university students from rural
areas that are instructed by
COMET Trained instructors.
Denominator: Total number
of university students instructed
through the use of the
STEM+AT modules developed
by the COMET activity
Unit of measurement:
percent of participating university
students
Disaggregation: sex, country
*Note that the numbers for this
indicator are under verification
process. Final numbers are subject
to slight changes.
Output Annually
Evaluation
study
TBD TBD N/A N /A N /A 52% 52% N /A
Data is calculated from round
one of YES baseline survey. See
the SPSS output table in
Indicator 2.4&3.4 sheet.
Overall, 52% of the students are
from rural area.
56% of the male students and
43% of the female students are
from rural.
In Cambodia, 30% are from rural.
In Lao PDR, 57% are from rural.
For Myanmar, 30% are from
rural. In Thailand, no data has
been reported. In Vietnam, 71%
come from rural area.

33. ANNEX I: INDICATORS TABLE
xiii
No. Indicator
Indicator
Type
Reporting
Frequency
Data
Source
Targets
Cumulative
Result
% cumulative
achievement
against annual
target
NotesLOA Target
Cumulative
Annual
Target
(2016)
Quarterly Result
Q1
(Oct-
Dec)
Q2
(Jan-
Mar)
Q3
(Apr-
Jun)
Q4
(Jul-Sep)
3.6
Percent of impacted [university]
students that receive improved
methods in the delivery of
STEM+AT instruction are
connected to the online
workforce portal
Numerator: Total number of
university students that have
registered on the COMET online
portal, and/or who have enrolled
in online STEM+AT classes
Denominator: Total number
of vocational students instructed
through the use of the
STEM+AT modules developed
by the COMET activity in the
institutions with appropriate
access to online content (e.g.,
computers with internet).
Unit of measurement:
percent of participating university
students
Disaggregation: sex, country,
urban/rural
Output Quarterly
Evaluation
study
80% 0 % N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Target is set to start in Y3.

34. ANNEX II:
STAFFING AND KEY DELIVERABLES
KEY PROJECT DELIVERABLES AND SUBMISSIONS
Key Deliverable Submission Date
The Year 2 Work Plan for 201 6 August 31, 2015
2015 Annual Report N ovember 6, 2015
The Institutional Profile Survey
Report
November 2015
The 2016 Regional STEM+AT
Labor Market Assessment Report
February 6, 2016
• First quarterly report
• Second quarterly report
• Third quarterly report
• January 15, 2015
• April 11, 2016
• July 14, 2016
• First quarterly financial report
• Second quarterly financial report
• Third quarterly financial report
• January 30, 2016
• April 30, 2016
• July 30, 2016
• First quarterly accrual report
• Second quarterly accrual report
• Third quarterly accrual report
• Fourth quarterly accrual report
• December 8, 2016
• March 7, 2016
• June 10, 2016
• September 7, 2016
The Year 3 Work Plan for FY201 7 August 29, 2016
The Network portal
Submitted to USAID for review on
September 12, 2016
STAFFING
New staff joined the project this year to help implement the
USAID COMET agenda and activities.
• Senior Institutional Specialist
• M&E Manager
• Project Officer
• Grants and Contracts Officer
• Website Specialist
• Finance and Administrative Coordinator
In early March 2016, the project’s Training Manager moved
from the US to Bangkok.

35. EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT CENTER, INC.
USAID CONNECTING THE MEKONG THROUGH EDUCATION AND TRAINING (USAID COMET)
Contract No.: AID-486-C-14-00001
Period of Performance: 10/6/14 - 10/5/19
i
ANNEX III:
FINANCIAL REPORT
ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT FOR FY16
Budget Line Item
Contract Ceiling
Contract
Funded
Value
Total Funds Expended plus Unliquidated Obligations Unobligated
balance of
USAID
funds
CLIN1 CLIN2 CLIN3 Total CLINs CLIN1 CLIN2 CLIN3 Total CLINs
Salaries and Wages 568,176 1,306,391 1,212,898 3,087,465 450,662 413,782 633,064 1,497,507.82
Fringe Benefits 152,998 334,283 307,170 794,451 102,626 99,258 149,893 351,776.55
Allowances 59,738 119,475 119,475 298,688 44,877 55,927 74,385 175,188.38
Consultants 102,926 263,570 257,625 624,122 64,607 48,406 52,378 165,390.71
Travel, Transportation and Per
diem 49,405 153,259 92,783 295,447 42,151 49,821 89,738 181,709.72
Equipment and Supplies <
$5000 9,319 21,229 21,229 51,777 10,022 5,829 11,144 26,994.57
ODCs 150,168 355,631 515,916 1,021,715 154,842 73,926 220,349 449,117.08
Total Direct Costs 1,092,729 2,553,838 2,527,096 6,173,664 869,785.55 746,948.37 1,230,950.92 2,847,684.83
Subawards 793,232 498,448 501,510 1,793,190 228,777 72,736 55,871 357,383.97
Indirect Costs 406,726 884,458 911,653 2,202,837 321,446 291,651 463,195 1,076,292.06
Grants under Contract 20,000 80,000 800,000 900,000 - 56,148 228,788 284,936.13
Equipment 24,160 48,320 48,320 120,800 - - - -
Participant Costs 15,813 643,633 - 659,446 - 44,981 99,177 144,158.44
Total Costs 2,352,661 4,708,697 4,788,579 11,849,936 1,420,008.40 1,212,465.00 2,077,982.03 4,710,455.43
Fixed Fee (@ 5%) 116,633 231,435 199,429 547,497 71,000 56,186 91,649 218,835.65
Total Costs plus fee 2,469,294 4,940,132 4,988,008 12,397,433 7,050,989 1,491,008.81 1,268,651.46 2,169,630.80 4,929,291.08 2,121,698

36. EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT CENTER, INC.
USAID CONNECTING THE MEKONG THROUGH EDUCATION AND TRAINING ( USAID COMET)
Contract No.: AID-486-C-14-00001
Period of Performance: 10/6/14 - 10/5/19
ii
ANNEX III:
FINANCIAL REPORT
ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT FOR FY16
Reporting
Period
Awardee/Recipient
Number of
Recipients
Summary and Justification
Type of
Assistance to GoB
* Value
Percentage of GOB
Assistance to Activity
Amount
10/6/14-
9/30/16
University of Technology - Yatanarpon
Cyber City (UTYCC)/ Myanmar
Student at Mahidol university &
NUOL/ COMET/ NYUNT, DAW
TIN TIN/ University of Yan gon
1-7
Tech Innovation Workshop / Women in
Tech/ Leadership Summit &
MekongSkill2Work TOT/ Technical
Assistances (M&E, MLC and
Institutionalized) to UTYCC / Grant/ Data
Collection services/ Education Advisory
Institution
Technical
Assistance/ Per
Diem/ Travel /
Services / Data
collection service/
$56,299.00 1%
T otal $56,299.00 1 %

37. 39
Lower Mekong Initiative @MekongS2Work
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