Skill Development Centers

Women in a factory

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Skill Development Centers
Offering specialized sector specific courses and language training
SectorMost major industry classification systems use sources of revenue as their basis for classifying companies into specific sectors, subsectors and industries. In order to group like companies based on their sustainability-related risks and opportunities, SASB created the Sustainable Industry Classification System® (SICS®) and the classification of sectors, subsectors and industries in the SDG Investor Platform is based on SICS.
Education
Formal Education
Business Model Description

Invest in specialized education centers or TVET in sectors such as Information Technology (IT), Agriculture, Financial Services and Infrastructure, in addition to language training (specifically English), in order to increase employability of workforce and make them globally competitive

IT Step Academy Cambodia, founded in 1999, operates as a branch of the international training center IT Academy STEP, operating in 22 countries and provides qualitative IT education. It offers affordable quality training programs, along with placement support and certification from Cisco, Microsoft and Autodesk with majors in Software Development and Computer Graphics and Design.

Data U Academy, founded in 2019, is an educational business of Mekong Big Data, Cambodia, specializing in data science, IT in data and digital marketing. With the support of various organizations, they provide scholarships for provincial area trainees, ensuring gender diversity. 30% of their curriculum is dedicated to soft skills.

The Australian Centre for Education (ACE), founded in 1992 by IDP Education, is a leader in English Language Teaching services in Cambodia. In 30 years of operation, it has served 700,000 students, and offered its courses through a fully functioning Learning Management System (LMS) during the pandemic.

Expected Impact

Reduce the existing skill gap and equip the workforce with modern specialized skills needed to compete in the global job market.

Indicative ReturnDescribes the rate of growth an investment is expected to generate within the IOA. The indicative return is identified for the IOA by establishing its Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Return of Investment (ROI) or Gross Profit Margin (GPM).
15% - 20% (in IRR)
Investment TimeframeDescribes the time period in which the IOA will pay-back the invested resources. The estimate is based on asset expected lifetime as the IOA will start generating accumulated positive cash-flows.
Short Term (0–5 years)
Market SizeDescribes the value of potential addressable market of the IOA. The market size is identified for the IOA by establishing the value in USD, identifying the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) or providing a numeric unit critical to the IOA.
USD 50 million - USD 100 million
Average Ticket Size (USD)Describes the USD amount for a typical investment required in the IOA.
< USD 500,000
Direct ImpactDescribes the primary SDG(s) the IOA addresses.
Quality Education (SDG 4)
Indirect ImpactDescribes the secondary SDG(s) the IOA addresses.
Gender Equality (SDG 5) Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8) Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10)
Sector Sources
  • (1) Royal Government of Cambodia. (2018). Cambodia Sustainable Development Goals Framework (2016-2030). https://data.opendevelopmentmekong.net/dataset/3aacd312-3b1e-429c-ac1e-33b90949607d/resource/d340c835-e705-40a4-8fb3-66f957670072/download/csdg_framework_2016-2030_english_last_final-1.pdf (2) Sachs et al. (2021). Sustainable Development Report 2021. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://s3.amazonaws.com/sustainabledevelopment.report/2021/2021-sustainable-development-report.pdf (3) Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. (2019). Cambodia’s Education 2030 Roadmap. https://drive.google.com/file/d/11j976Lya14KKgJ5ia73eFsm4GwUPGBo7/view (4) Gillispie, A. (2018). The Borgen Project. Girls’ Education in Cambodia Fights Inequality and Rural Isolation website: https://borgenproject.org/girls-education-in-cambodia/#:~:text=Gender%20Disparities%20Still%20an%20Obstacle%20in%20Cambodia&text=Data%20collected%20by%20various%20international,students%20increases%20with%20each%20grade. (5) Macrotrends. (2022). Cambodia Education Spending 1998-2022. https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/KHM/cambodia/education-spending (6) World Bank. (2021). Government Expenditure on Education (% of Government Expenditure)—Cambodia. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.TOTL.GB.ZS?locations=KH (7) World Bank. (2021). Individuals Using the Internet (% of Population)—Cambodia. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.NET.USER.ZS?end=2020&locations=KH&start=2000&view=chart (8) UNDP. (2020). Human Development Report 2020: Cambodia. https://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/Country-Profiles/KHM.pdf (9) Sok, C. (2020). More Females Urged to Learn Science and Technology. Khmer Times. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50799187/more-females-urged-to-learn-science-and-technology/
IOA Sources
  • (10) Thomas, J. (2019). Cambodia’s Workforce Needs Help. The ASEAN Post. https://theaseanpost.com/article/cambodias-workforce-needs-help (11) National Institute of Statistics. (2020). Cambodia Total Working Age Population. https://www.ceicdata.com/en/cambodia/working-age-population-cambodia-socioeconomic-survey-cses (12) Open Development Cambodia. (2015). Labor. https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/topics/labor/ (13) Open Development Cambodia. (2012). ADB Report Says Cambodia Must Train More Skilled Workers. https://opendevelopmentcambodia.net/news/adb-report-says-cambodia-must-train-more-skilled-workers/ (14) Neak, P. (2020). Community Learning Centers, Challenges and Ways Forward to Become Lifelong Learning Centers. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345742062_Community_Learning_Centers_challenges_and_way_forward_to_become_lifelong_learning_centers (15) Rhea, M.S. (2020). English Proficiency Index Shows Cambodia’s Language Skills Progress. Khmer Times. https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50785845/english-proficiency-index-shows-cambodias-language-skills-progress/#:~:text=Cambodians%20are%20increasingly%20learning%20English,up%20ten%20places%20this%20year. (16) Wedu Global. (2018). Advancing Women in Tech Through Leadership Development and Mentoring in Cambodia. https://www.weduglobal.org/advancing-women-in-tech-in-cambodia/ (17) World Bank. (2020). Secondary Education, Vocational Pupils (% Female)—Cambodia. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.SEC.ENRL.VO.FE.ZS?locations=KH (18) World Bank. (2021). School Enrolment, Tertiary (% Gross)—Cambodia. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.TER.ENRR?locations=KH (19) World Bank. (2021). School Enrolment, Tertiary, Female (% Gross)—Cambodia. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.TER.ENRR.FE?locations=KH (20) World Bank. (2021). School Enrolment, Tertiary, Male (% Gross)—Cambodia. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.TER.ENRR.MA?locations=KH (21) Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training. (2021). Cambodia Ministry Invests $500M on 5-Year Vocational Master Plan. https://sea-vet.net/news/839-cambodia-ministry-invests-500m-on-a-5-year-vocational-master-plan (22) Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. (2019). Cambodia’s Education 2030 Roadmap. https://drive.google.com/file/d/11j976Lya14KKgJ5ia73eFsm4GwUPGBo7/view (23) Royal Government of Cambodia. (2015). National Employment Policy 2015-2025. https://edmsp1.ilo.org/edmsp1/groups/public/documents/6006/cdff/mtm3/~edisp/edmsp1_137402.pdf (24) Royal Government of Cambodia. (2017). National Technical Vocational Education and Training Policy 2017-2025. (25) Royal Government of Cambodia. (2017). National Technical Vocational Education and Training Policy 2017-2025. (26) Royal Government of Cambodia. (1993). The Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia. https://cambodia.ohchr.org/~cambodiaohchr/sites/default/files/Constitution_ENG.pdf (27) Royal Government of Cambodia. (2009). Sub-Decree on Organization and Functioning of Ministry of Education Youth and Sport. http://www.moeys.gov.kh/images/moeys/laws-and-regulations/262/sub-decree-84-2009-moeys-organisation%20and%20Functions-en.pdf (28) Royal Government of Cambodia. (2007). Education Law. https://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/sites/default/files/ressources/cambodia_education_law.pdf (29) Council for the Development of Cambodia. (2021). Law on Investment. https://www.cambodiainvestment.gov.kh/en/law-on-investment-2021.html (30) Ministry of Economy and Finance. (2016). Prakas 209 on Tax Incentive for Educational Establishment. https://www.aseanbriefing.com/news/cambodia-issues-tax-incentives-education-sector/#:~:text=On%20March%202%2C%202020%2C%20the%20Cambodian%20government%20issued,tax%2C%20and%20prepayment%20of%20tax%20on%20income%20%28PTOI%29.