On Wednesday September 16th, ASEAN Member States’ labour and education ministers launched the “Roadmap of ASEAN Declaration on Human Resources Development for the Changing World of Work” as well as the “ASEAN Technical and Vocational Education and Training” (TVET) at a high-level conference held by Vietnam, ASEAN Chair country 2020.

Representatives of relevant ASEAN sectoral bodies, Embassies, ASEAN Dialogue Partners, academia, private sector, employers’ association, trade union, UN Agencies, international organisations and other stakeholders attended the launch.

The Roadmap translates the declaration adopted by the 36th ASEAN Summit in June 2020, into concrete strategies and actions. It is expected to guide ASEAN sectoral bodies on labour, education, and relevant stakeholders in their cooperation and coordination for the next decade to build resilient, adaptable and future-ready human resources.

The Roadmap also aims to respond to the changing world of work due to technological advances, demographic transition and greening economies. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on education and employment were also addressed through actions to promote IT infrastructure, innovation and the use of technology in teaching and learning approaches.

The ASEAN Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council was also simultaneously launched. It is a multi-sectoral body for coordination, research and development on innovation and monitoring of regional programmes that support TVET advancement in the region.