Industrial Transformation and Skill Needs: Implications for Future Skill Development

Abstract

The Royal Government of Cambodia aims to upgrade the country’s status to an upper-middle-income country by 2030; a high-income country by 2050 and human resource development is the key to this endeavor. Within this context, the study explores employers’ perspectives on the relationships between worker development skill and industrial transformation. Particularly, the research applied case study methodology to examine how companies in Cambodia manufacturing industries mobilize their workforce to respond to changes in products, technology, and work organization. Interviews were conducted with 36 human resource managers and production heads at 18 companies in the electrical & electronic, garment, and food processing industries. Transcripts were thematically coded on NVivo 12 software. The findings provide employers’ insights to facilitate training providers in designing skill training programs responsive to future labor market needs.

Keywords: Industrial transformation, vocational skill development, TVET