The HoKa Steering Committee of the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with Swisscontact, organized a consultation workshop on the “Review and Provision of Inputs to the Draft Competency-Based Assessment Packages for National Tourism Qualifications at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Certificate Levels 1, 2, and 3 in Front Office Operations, Housekeeping, Food and Beverage Service, and Cookery.”
Phnom Penh, 3 June 2026 – With the high authorization of H.E. Huot Hak, Minister of Tourism, the HoKa Steering Committee of the Ministry of Tourism, in partnership with Swisscontact, convened a consultation workshop entitled “Review and Provision of Inputs to the Draft Competency-Based Assessment Packages for National Tourism Qualifications at TVET Certificate Levels 1, 2, and 3 in Front Office Operations, Housekeeping, Food and Beverage Service, and Cookery.”
The workshop was officially opened by H.E. Pak Sokhom, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Tourism and Chair of the HoKa Steering Committee, representing H.E. Huot Hak, Minister of Tourism. The event was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport; the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training; Swisscontact; vocational education and training institutions; tourism industry associations; lecturers, instructors, master trainers; and national master assessors, with approximately 80 participants in total.
The Ministry of Tourism, through the HoKa Steering Committee and in collaboration with the Skills Development Programme (SDP) of Swisscontact, has jointly developed a series of Standard Training Packages (STPs) for Front Office Operations, Housekeeping, Food and Beverage Service, and Cookery. These training packages are aligned with the Cambodian Qualifications Framework (CQF) at TVET Certificate Levels 1, 2, and 3 and were developed during the period from 2024 to 2025. The packages comprise four key components:
1. Competency Profiles;
2. Competency Standards;
3. Competency-Based Training Programmes; and
4. Competency-Based Assessment Packages.
The development of these Standard Training Packages aims to strengthen and ensure the consistency and quality of vocational training delivery nationwide in alignment with Cambodia’s national qualifications framework. While the Ministry of Tourism has long promoted training based on ASEAN Competency Standards under the framework of the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals (ASEAN MRA-TP), these newly developed national training packages provide an additional mechanism to harmonize training and assessment practices within the Cambodian context.
Furthermore, the Standard Training Packages serve as a clear roadmap for technical and vocational education and training institutions in designing and delivering industry-relevant training programmes that respond to labour market demands. They also establish structured pathways for skills development, career progression, and the formal recognition of qualifications following training and competency assessment.
The development process of these training packages has undergone numerous technical meetings, consultation workshops, and a final validation workshop. Throughout the process, valuable contributions were provided by subject-matter experts, master trainers, national master assessors, representatives of tourism industry associations, training institutions, and private-sector stakeholders.
In parallel with the development of the Standard Training Packages, the Competency-Based Assessment Packages (CBAPs) currently under consultation are being further refined through stakeholder discussions and feedback. These additional inputs will help ensure that the assessment packages become a robust and reliable mechanism for evaluating and certifying the competencies and qualifications of students and tourism professionals.
The assessment system is designed to adhere to standardized methodologies and principles, ensuring quality, transparency, fairness, validity, and reliability in the assessment and recognition of professional competencies and qualifications. Ultimately, it will contribute to enhancing the credibility of tourism qualifications and supporting the development of a highly skilled and internationally competitive tourism workforce in Cambodia.
