1.
In your view, what are the most critical changes that need to be made to improve skills
development training within Myanmar? (5 points)
In Myanmar, 32.1% of the population lived below the poverty line in 2015, with
poverty twice as high in rural areas, where 70% of the population resides. Poverty remains
geographically spread in Myanmar: while the Coastal and Hills and Mountains regions
contain a disproportionate number of the poorest individuals, 65 % of the poor live in the
Dry Zone and Delta.
Many new workforce entrants, and especially the poor, have limited skills and
education. Many youths cannot access and/or complete even lower secondary education
(LSE), and are then unable to pursue higher education, TVET, or modern sector
employment. Access to TVET is very low, with only 1.7% of youth aged 16–19 years
enrolled in any form of training (11% are enrolled in higher education). Trainings with
industrial skill are limited in rural communities.
Increasing numbers of youth are moving to urban areas for the purpose of
employment, due to high migration rate. On the one hand, high proportion of low-skilled
workers are potentially in need of access to TVET. TVET has become a key area for
investment in Myanmar and many initiatives have been implemented to address
unemployment issues and improve economic growth. However, very often, the number of
seats in schools or TVET centres, especially in rural areas, is not enough.
Therefore, for the poor people or person who could not complete school education,
vocational education has been introduced to enable one to earn a living. Hence, TVET
helps to raise employment opportunities for un-educated youth person who could not
complete higher-level education especially in rural areas.
Currently the TVET system in Myanmar, both public and private, faces
management, quality and accessibility related issues. In terms of management, there is
little engagement of industry in linking with occupational skill standards or labor market
industry needs. TVET programs are supply driven, lacking modern teaching materials,
equipment and training facilities. TVET teachers have limited industry experience as well
as there are few opportunities for either TVET teachers or trainees to undertake industry
placements. Consequently, TVET is not seen as an attractive option for SES graduates.
The NESP and TVET Law encapsulate the commitment of GOM to raise the status and
quality of TVET and skills development, which will require significant support for human
capacity development and formulation of skill standards.
More resources should be allocated for providing subsidies to employers for
workplace training, or to those who can take on apprentices and mentor them
successfully.
Further, the curricula have been developed with little or no involvement of industry
partners, and the trainers have little industrial experience, making TVET delivery in
Myanmar characterized as: theory-oriented rather than practice-oriented (competency-
based); and classroom-based rather than industry- or business-based. It should be
changed including practice-oriented, focusing on industry or business-based and involving
industry partners.
As for TVET for youth, the target people should be divided into two groups: those who
have admitted to TVET institutions (GTHS and GTI) and those who have continued
general education. For TVET students, it is important to ensure their social value and
create more opportunities for them to become TVET teachers as well as to assure the
quality of their education.
In the short run, the government needs to focus on fostering teachers, establishing strong
ties with private companies, developing teaching materials for teachers to offer practical
courses, and ensuring sufficient number of machines at each TVET institution.
Furthermore, through discussions with related-industries, curriculum, teaching materials,
machines have to be reviewed to determine if they are suitable for expected training.
As industrial advancement continues, TVET will be required to introduce new technologies
to the students, thus the teachers are expected to acquire new knowledge at TVET
Schools. In addition, to collaborate with private companies to learn know-hows and skills
on basic production technologies to stay current with latest technology developments.
Furthermore, upon completion of the course, the students can acquire skills at NSSA’s
level 2.
For Regional and labour market needs, students from Formal and Non-Formal are trained
in skills and technical areas that do not necessarily respond to labour market needs.
Myanmar’s TVET system is very much supply driven, with TVET from both public and
private providers. The consultation system with entrepreneurs, business associations, and
chambers of commerce that would enable the system to be more demand-driven is not yet
in place, should be more public or private enterprise involvement in the development of
skills standards and curricula.
There are ways to change the policy from supply-driven to demand-driven, such as: a) first
of all, to understand the private sector’s (businesses and entrepreneurs) needs; and b)
second, to involve the private sector in designing the curricula so that there is more
balance between theory and practice, and that the curricula content and the learning
outcomes are closer to the needs of the labor market, i.e. competency-based.
Thus, curriculum, syllabus and practical training targets need to base on the opinions of
relevant private sectors. It needs to check to guarantee its high quality in collaboration with
private sectors. Opportunities to share good practices shall be expanded without any
restriction. Each TVET institution should develop and implement a maintenance system for
equipment, which is considered a common and essential practice for the private sector.
Collaboration with private sectors shall be strengthened through mobilizing instructors
from private sectors to TVET institutions and an internship program for TVET students to
private sectors. Increasing employment rate of graduates shall be a key indicator for each
TVET institutions, the necessary actions need to improve this indicator for taking into
consideration of a priority basis.
2. An important aspect of the LIFT Strategy for 2019-2023 is the expansion of labour
rights protection for vulnerable workers. In your view, what are the key gaps that
need to be filled in Myanmar? (5 points)
According to the LIFT Strategy for 2019-2013, an important aspect is the expansion of
labour rights protection for vulnerable workers, the following key gaps that need to be filled
in Myanmar.
1. In Myanmar, most of rural communities are faced the lack of employment opportunities
apart from children and old person, most of work force level peoples are highly
migrated, according to the Census Thematic Report on Migration and Urbanization,
2016 and Myanmar census 2014. Over 9.30 million of people are internal migrants and
4.25 million of total population are international migrants, so this is the quarter of total
population of Myanmar. Most of migrant workers are illegally than legally. These
migrants are vulnerable to poor knowledge about the labour rights and social
protection, migration governance, anti-trafficking and Skill Development and
employment.
2. Currently policy and legislative framework does not protect from exploitation and abuse
both migrants and minorities within the labour market.
3. And most of migrants are not skilful to access the decent work as all are from rural
area. So, we need to support the technical knowledge both capacity and
competencies.
4. Then we should cooperate with private sector institution such as an organization of
labours that collectively promotes the interest of its member and negotiates with
employers. And working with private sector to establish self-regulatory regimes on
ethical recruitment and employment practices and monitor compliance.
5. We need to support supply-demand social responsibility initiatives to achieve the
perfect improvements in labour rights protection within cooperate supply chains.
6. We should be support to vulnerable migrants labours to be deeply understand the
social security Law, Labour and Skill Development Law, Law relating to oversea
employment by supporting awareness session by cooperating with partners.
7. For having work safety condition, government or many labor organizations should ensure it is decent work.
Employer should be monitored whether they use restricted products or equipment that can harm to employees’
health or damage to environment. It should be protected by well-defined law and there should be exact
punishment if someone breaks the law. General public awareness should be raised how to protect themselves
during high risk conditions of work.
8. It should ensure adequate housing for migrant workers by setting up a national housing body to study and assess
the needs of labor; ensure that employers respect the rights and freedoms of workers living in employer-provided
housing.
9. For labor exploitation, it should develop and promote safe internal recruitment mechanisms
by assessing why official job placement channels are not commonly used and increasing public
awareness of their services
10. It is also important to build relationships between civil society, government authorities and workers to
discuss problems and report violations as they occur by improving information sharing and communication
3. Who do you view as the key stakeholder organizations for LIFT’s Decent Work and
Labour Mobility programme and explain how you would work with them? (5 points)
