Cambodia’s youth learn business expertise

THE Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport last week hosted a seminar to promote entrepreneurship among young Cambodians, hoping to inspire them to set goals and plan for the future.

Additional workshops on “Cambodia Entrepreneurship Day” were held in 25 places across the country under the supervision of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Volunteers organisation.

Su Socheata, the ILO’s project coordinator, said the campaign played an important role in helping Cambodian youth learn and discuss ways to plan for the future.

“This seminar provides opportunities for youths at school and outside of it to discuss topics such as, what is entrepreneurship? What is their native potential? What kind of jobs is suitable for them? And how to prepare to become a future entrepreneur?” she said.

‘We want to inspire’

She noted that there was little involvement from young people who weren’t enrolled in school. She said that this could be because they didn’t hear of the event or the seminar was located too far away.

“As our plan, we want to involve those outside of school to inspire them to learn entrepreneurship or take certain life skills,” she said.

Taing Sophanarot, the director of the youth management department at the Ministry of Education, said the workshop provided ideas for young people to create their careers based on their skills, and not to merely rely on working for others.

“We want Cambodian youth to know how to develop their own business according to their potential,” he said.

Sing Yong Chhinh, an 11th grade student in Phnom Penh who participated in the workshop, said the event was a good transfer of experience from successful entrepreneurs to the younger generation.

“Successful entrepreneurship is what I want to know about and what I want to learn because, in the future, I want to be successful as a designer,” Yong Chhinh said.

Lay Sopheaktra, a Phnom Penh 12th-grade student, said some young people do not think about their skills or their future careers. Sopheaktra said the seminar would encourage youth to be strong and consider the employment opportunities ahead of them.