Capacity Building for the National Training Council Permanent Office (VELA, Lao PDR)
Strengthening Lao PDR's national standards body: DACUM-based occupational standards, a modernised NOS manual and a community of practice
GIZ-commissioned assignment under the Vocational Education Lao PDR (VELA) programme, strengthening the National Training Council Permanent Office (NTC-PO) as the national body for occupational and competency-based standards. Across 92 expert-days, indeson delivered DACUM and Training Needs Analysis workshops, supported development of two validated occupational standards, and led the revision of the 2013 NTC Manual on competency-based standards — aligning it with the Lao NQF and international frameworks (ILO, UNEVOC). A community-of-practice model with digital collaboration tools now links DTVET, NTC-PO, VEDI and LNCCI, and the final outputs were endorsed through national stakeholder workshops.
Lao PDR's National Training Council Permanent Office is mandated to steward the country's occupational and competency-based standards — but its core methodology dated from the 2013 NTC Manual, and coordination between DTVET, NTC-PO, VEDI and the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI) lacked working structures. Standards development needed modern methods, alignment with the Lao NQF and international frameworks, and institutional routines that survive beyond individual projects.
Strengthen NTC-PO as the national body for occupational and competency-based standards through a comprehensive capacity-building programme, a modernised standards-development manual, validated occupational standards and durable multi-institution coordination.
Specific Objectives:
- 1Design and implement a 92-expert-day training programme including DACUM and Training Needs Analysis workshops
- 2Develop at least two occupational standards and pilot the revised manual in two dual-cooperative-training Trade Working Groups
- 3Revise and modernise the 2013 NTC Manual, aligning it with the Lao NQF and international frameworks (ILO, UNEVOC)
- 4Introduce a community-of-practice model with digital collaboration tools across DTVET, NTC-PO, VEDI and LNCCI
Key Activities
- Comprehensive training programme over 92 expert-days
- DACUM and Training Needs Analysis workshops
- Coaching of NTC-PO, VEDI and LNCCI staff in standards development
- Development of two occupational standards, validated with stakeholders
- Revision and modernisation of the 2013 NTC Manual on competency-based standards
- Alignment with the Lao NQF and international frameworks (ILO, UNEVOC)
- Piloting of the revised manual in two dual-cooperative-training Trade Working Groups
- Introduction of a community-of-practice model with digital collaboration tools
- Coordination between DTVET, NTC-PO, VEDI and LNCCI
- National stakeholder workshops endorsing the final outputs
Methodology
DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) occupational analysis workshops
Training Needs Analysis (TNA) workshops
Standards-manual revision aligned with the Lao NQF, ILO and UNEVOC frameworks
Piloting in dual-cooperative-training Trade Working Groups
Community-of-practice model with digital collaboration tools
National stakeholder workshops for validation and endorsement
Project Outcomes
Revised National Occupational Standards (NOS) Manual aligned with the Lao NQF and international frameworks
Two validated occupational standards developed and endorsed through national stakeholder workshops
Community-of-practice model with digital collaboration tools linking DTVET, NTC-PO, VEDI and LNCCI
Institutional recommendations endorsed, strengthening NTC-PO as the national standards body
2022-07 to 2023-06
GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)
Commissioning Party
Development OrganizationNational Training Council Permanent Office (NTC-PO)
Strengthened as the national standards body
VEDI (Vocational Education Development Institute)
Capacity building and coordination partner
LNCCI (Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry)
Private-sector voice in standards development