Rokiah Mahmud
The TVET Regional Centre, SEAMEO VOCTECH hosted a courtesy visit by German Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Gerda Winkler on Wednesday.
The visit not only enabled the regional organisation to be introduced to the ambassador, but also offered an opportunity for the centre and the envoy to discuss bilateral ways to enhance and strengthen cooperation and collaboration in projects for the benefit of the region.
Centre Director Alias bin Haji Abu Bakar highlighted the close relationship the centre has with fellow German colleagues and strategic partners. Germany is an associate member country of SEAMEO that has provided supports in the fields of education, science and culture, particularly technical and vocational education and training (TVET).
The centre has been collaborating with German development agency GIZ for joint conferences and regional meetings since 2006. The relation was further enhanced through a joint project with GIZ-RECOTVET, enabling the centre to develop and establish a successful regional knowledge platform known as SEA-VET.Net in 2018.
Among the outcomes were regional policy dialogues, collaborative consultancy services on research, standards development, the skills development awards for ASEAN, and publications including the Regional TVET Teacher Standard for ASEAN, and co-organisation of training of TVET Master Trainers on Industrial Revolution 4.0 related topics.
The centre director also shared that the centre’s joint efforts with the German Asia-Pacific business Association will be facilitated through the setting up of a dedicated private sector page on the SEA-VET.Net platform.
“We are glad to have this opportunity to convey our appreciation to the German government for the ongoing collaborative project with GIZ-RECOTVET. We look forward to the continuous support on TVET expertise, especially for the research project on ‘the Readiness of TVET Institutions for IR 4.0 in Southeast Asia’ currently underway,” he said.
Meanwhile, the German ambassador commended the centre on its achievements and expressed gratitude to the centre director, management and staff for their hospitality. Both parties also engaged in a brief dialogue session to identify potential areas for TVET development.
