Closing the Gap Workshop 2026: Anchoring Workforce Readiness Through Collaboration and Partnership
Participants at the Closing the Gap Workshop Penang Malaysia May 2026
The 3rd Closing the Gap Workshop, held from 12–14 May 2026 in Penang, Malaysia, brought together representatives from governments, TVET institutions, the private sector, and regional organizations across ASEAN and the EU to strengthen collaboration on workforce readiness and skills development.
Organized by SCOPE-HE and the Department of Polytechnic and Community College Education (DPCCE), Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, the workshop forms part of a regional series focused on improving alignment between education systems and labor market needs.
During the opening session, His Excellency Sujiro Seam, Ambassador of the EU to ASEAN, highlighted the crucial importance of strengthening education–industry partnerships to support ASEAN’s evolving skills needs. He emphasized that strong political commitment and shared governance are essential to securing the long-term investments needed for regional training programs.
Lao PDR Delegation
Lao PDR was well-represented by a joint delegation bridging development, policy, and academic insights:
Mr. Tony Donovan, Senior Sectoral Adviser – Vocational Skills Development, LuxDev (representing EuroCham Laos).
Mr. Thongsa Inthavong, Deputy Director-General, Department of TVET, Ministry of Education and Sports.
Ms. Oudtanivanh Luangduangsitthideth, Teacher, Dongkhamxang Agriculture Technical College.
Key Takeaways
True Co-Ownership: Industry must evolve from a passive adviser to an active co-designer and investor in curriculum development, internships, and work-based learning.
The Development Gap: The discussions highlighted a growing divergence in the pace of TVET system development across ASEAN, with Lao PDR facing an urgent need for strengthened collaboration and capacity building. EuroCham Laos remains committed to working alongside local stakeholders and partners to help narrow this divide.
Execution is Key: As emphasized in the closing remarks by Mr. Samuel Wejchert, Political Officer of the EU Delegation to Malaysia, the bottleneck is not about understanding or diagnosing the problem, but effectively executing demand-driven solutions at scale.
Practical Application: Bosch Site Visit
To observe a successful multi-stakeholder partnership in action, the workshop included a practical site visit to Robert Bosch (M) Sdn Bhd. Participants heard directly from the company's key staff regarding the highly successful Bosch in-house training model and toured their active training facilities.
Looking Ahead
The insights and strategic outcomes from the Penang workshop will contribute directly to the development of a regional strategic roadmap and comprehensive policy recommendations, to be consolidated in the first half of 2027.
Read the full summary and download the complete report here