Education and Skills Development for the Future Workforce in Cambodia

This research paper examines the progress and challenges of Cambodia’s education and skills development sector, focusing on lower secondary, upper secondary, higher education, and vocational training. In recent years, significant progress has been observed across all levels of education, with improvements in gross enrollment and completion rates. For instance, lower secondary education saw gross enrollment rates rise from 59.9% in 2019–2020 to 68.6% in 2021–2022, while completion rates increased from 47.3% to 59.7%. Higher secondary education completion rates improved to 55.5% by 2021–2022, and STEM enrollment in higher education rose from 19.6% in 2013–2014 to 31.2% in 2022–2023. Similarly, vocational training graduation rates showed upward trends, reaching 53,723 graduates in 2021–2022. However, challenges such as high dropout rates, rural-urban disparities, and skills mismatches remain significant barriers to equitable and quality education.