AKP Phnom Penh, April 02, 2026 --

Cambodia and Germany have held discussions on expanding cooperation in vocational skills training and internship programmes.

H.E. Heng Sour, Minister of Labour and Vocational Training, received a courtesy call from Mr. Christoph Weigelmeier, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Cambodia, and Dr. Christoph Hoffmann, former Member of the German Parliament, on April 1 at the Ministry.

The meeting focused on exploring opportunities to develop new initiatives to support human resource development in Cambodia, including providing trainees with opportunities to undertake internships and exchange programmes in Germany.

Welcoming the guests, H.E. the Minister expressed his sincere appreciation to Mr. Weigelmeier and Dr. Hoffmann for their interest in expanding cooperation in vocational training and workforce skills development. He also recalled Germany’s long-standing support and contributions to human resource development in Cambodia.

On the occasion, H.E. the Minister underscored that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is a key pillar of the Royal Government of Cambodia’s strategy to transform the workforce into a highly skilled one through upskilling and reskilling in line with industrial development.

He also referred to his previous visit to a vocational training institution in Frankfurt, highlighting Germany’s dual education system as particularly relevant and beneficial for Cambodia.

For their part, the German side shared initiatives to strengthen bilateral cooperation, especially in vocational training and the placement of trainees, emphasizing a “win-win” approach that brings mutual benefits to both sending and receiving countries.

In response, H.E. the Minister described the initiative as “timely and very welcome,” reaffirming the Ministry’s readiness to collaborate with German vocational institutions to identify suitable partner institutions in Cambodia and to support a transparent trainee selection process.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the German side expressed sincere thanks to H.E. the Minister and reaffirmed their commitment to further deepening cooperation with the Ministry for the mutual benefit of both nations.

By C. Nika