Bangkok, [ACTED News] - In the context of a vocational training (VT) program that targets Myanmar refugees in Thailand, ACTED recently facilitated a first ever meeting between the Thailand’s Office of the Vocational Education Commission (OVEC) and the Union of Myanmar’s Department of Technical and Vocational Education (DTVE). The purpose of the meeting was primarily to foster a relationship between the two countries’ VT authorities and explore possibilities of collaboration between OVEC and DTVE as OVEC has experience in supporting VT systems in other countries, mainly Lao PDR and Cambodia.
The meeting also aimed to raise awareness about ongoing VT programs in the refugee camps along the Thai-Myanmar border and to explore possibilities for DTVE to recognize VT certificates issued by Thai VT colleges to Myanmar refugees in the camp. This is a crucial step which may facilitate voluntary return of these refugees back to Myanmar. It was also discussed to explore whether VT colleges in Thai and Myanmar border areas could be twinned up so as to exchange expertise, teachers, students, organize joint conferences and research within more and more regional cooperation and integration in the context of the ASEAN Economic Community coming in 2015. ACTED plans to pilot this initiative between the Loikaw Technical High School and the Mae Hong Son Community College towards the end of 2013.