US$26mil skills programme to boost tourism, agriculture, forestry in Laos

(From left) Aurelie Righetti, Thomas Lammar, Associate Professor Dr Phout Simmalavong, and Ina Marciulionyte co-chair the meeting on Sept 26 in Vientiane. - VT

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/Asia News Network): More than 20,000 young Lao workers are set to directly benefit from a new skills development initiative launched in Vientiane on Sept 26 by the Lao government in collaboration with development partners.

The five-year Skills for Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry (STAF) programme is jointly supported by the governments of Laos, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the European Union with a total budget of 25 million euros (US$26 million).