On January 14-25, 2019, Mekong Institute hosted 24 participants from labor ministries, recruitment agencies, civil society organizations and the media from Cambodia, P.R. China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam for a Capacity Development Program (CDP) as part of the project on “Strategic Management to Labour Migration in the Greater Mekong Subregion: Addressing the Challenges through Good Practices.”

This demand-driven and solution-oriented program is the second phase of the said project that is supported by the Thailand International Cooperation Agency. The CDP takes off from the results and findings of the rapids needs assessment conducted in the last quarter of 2018 to determine issues and challenges relating to labor migration in the six GMS countries. The two-week CDP presented good practices in labor migration while engaging the participants in discussions on feasible means to improve services to migrant workers. Breaking from the traditional training-only strategy, the CDP leveraged on labor migration experts who provided solution-based coaching to the participants.  

“The project is a response to the call for a more demand-driven approach program because training alone will not serve to address the issues of migration,” explained Mr. Sudam Pawar, Director of MI’s Innovation and Technological Connectivity Department. “The program is not a usual training program. Here you will discuss existing situations in your respective countries and come out with best practices that can be applied. Facilitators will help in identifying action plans and solutions for each country,” he further detailed.

Among the topics that the two-week program touched on were pre- and post-departure orientation programs, return and reintegration programs, fair recruitment promotion, and daily/seasonal migrant workers and social security scheme.

Following the CDP, participants are expected to implement their respective action plans with the MI team and experts providing technical guidance and coaching.