June 12 2015, Vientiane – The Lao-German Technical School and Nam Theun 2 Power Company (NTPC) signed a memorandum of understanding on labor market oriented human resources development for the hydropower industry. The MOU was signed by Mr Somlith Virivong, Director of Lao-German Technical School and Mr Frederic Hofmann, NTPC Chief Executive Officer.
Under the MOU, both parties will work together to develop and implement dual cooperative training (DCT) arrangements in the hydropower industry. This includes the development and adjustment of curricula which reflect the particular human resource needs of NTPC and more generally the hydropower sector. It also allows for an efficient establishment and implementation of the DCT learning approach.
According to Mr Somlith, this initiative is an important step to prepare for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) as well as to improve the skills of Lao labor required by hydropower industry in Laos. “This MOU is the beginning of Lao labor development for hydropower industry in Laos. We will need to improve our workforce skill to be able to meet high standard as required by AEC.” Said Mr Somlith.
The program will run for three years in which NTPC will provide an opportunity for students to have internship and work with the company after graduation. At the same time, the school will also provide relevant training to NTPC staff to improve their skills.
The signing ceremony was held at the Lao-German Technical School and was attended by directors and teachers of the school, the Ministry of Education and Sports, and the NTPC CEO and its representatives.
