Myanmar looks at Singapore model to prepare workers for new economy.

SINGAPORE, Sept. 3 Kyodo

Myanmar is trying to learn from Singapore, the most prosperous economy in Southeast Asia, about equipping the country's workforce with the right skills for an expected flood of foreign investments in the wake of recent political and market reforms.

A group of about 30 Myanmar senior officials were in Singapore recently for a four-day workshop to learn how the Singapore model can be applied to Myanmar's nascent economy, which has started to stir in recent months after the lifting of decades of crippling sanctions from Western countries.

The workshop is the first in a nine-month long project sponsored mainly by a Singapore philanthropic organization, Temasek Foundation, to assist Myanmar in developing a framework for quality assurance in skills training.

The project comes under a memorandum of understanding signed in July this year between Myanmar's Labor Ministry and the Singapore Polytechnic, which is providing the training.

As a follow-up to that workshop, trainers from Singapore Polytechnic are now in Myanmar to meet Myanmar officials and provide further assistance in developing the framework.

"Myanmar could learn a lot from Singapore especially in skills training and developing for its workforce," Myanmar Deputy Minister in the Labor Ministry Myint Thein said in an interview with Kyodo News at the end of the workshop in Singapore.

"When we get back to Myanmar, we will develop an action plan," he said. "We have to develop market driven skills of our workers to meet the requirements of the labor market."

He said Myanmar needs skills in areas such as hotel and tourism, manufacturing industries, construction and services.

During Myanmar President Thein Sein's state visit to Singapore in January, an MOU on the Singapore-Myanmar Technical Cooperation Program was also signed between the two governments whereby Singapore will share its developmental experiences and provide training to Myanmar in three key areas: economic development, human resource development and public administration.

Yin Yin Aye, the director of a nonprofit vocational training center in Myanmar, who was also in Singapore for the workshop, said she is hopeful standardized accreditation based on not only local but

also regional standards will help to boost productivity for the country's development.

The center provides skills training in areas such as hospitality, furniture and cabinet making, business administration and metalwork, as well as for electricians. It currently has nearly 600 students aged 17 to 22.

"Myanmar needs to plan systematically. We don't need to rush. We have to go step by step. We should prepare and invest first in education," she said.

"We are aware we are late compared with our neighbors, so we have to work hard and work together."

Besides Myanmar, Singapore has also helped to provide such training for other countries in the region, such as Thailand, Indonesia and Mongolia.

Lee Fook Kee, a consultant from Singapore Polytechnic who was involved in training the participants, said, "Myanmar is now bringing in a lot of investments and they are trying to modernize their skills development system."

"A team of us are trying to help them to strategize, come up with a strategic plan. They are trying to learn from us a total system that can be adapted to suit their system. They are trying to find out about the Singapore experience."