USAID Connecting the Mekong through Education and Training: Annual Report | October 2016 - 2017

The project aims to improve youth employment with market-driven skills, connect key stakeholders in education, businesses, and government to maximize impact, and increase technology-based learning solutions in classrooms. The project is implemented through the MekongSkills2Work (MS2W) Network, which fosters economic growth in the Lower Mekong sub-region. The MS2W Network is a key powerhouse of the project, and its professional development framework outlines the process for instructors to become certified. The framework defines the set of competencies required for each level of certification, including Certified MS2W Instructor, Lead Instructor, and Master Instructor. The project has achieved significant milestones in its third year, including the development of a certification system to help power the network. The certification system enables the project to deepen and broaden institutionalization efforts through a training approach that increasingly positions Mekong Learning Centers (MLCs) as leaders in innovative education. The project has also welcomed the latest toolkit to collaborate with the private sector, the Work-Based Learning (WBL) toolkit, which is a fundamental component of the MS2W model. The project has also made significant progress in its partnerships, including partnering with Edmodo, an internationally renowned education online learning management platform, to connect members of the MS2W Network with online instructional professional development courses and communities of practice. The project has also integrated the MS2W portal with YouRock.Jobs, a skills-profiling platform for entry-level jobseekers, to provide a skill profile development service that helps connect youth with industry partners for career opportunities. In addition, the project has collaborated with technology giants, governments, and youth to innovate, including the conclusion of the YSEALI World of Food Innovation Challenge, which concluded with a study tour to South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas. The project has also partnered with Texas A&M University and Intel to prepare five MLCs for institutional innovation challenges, building on the success of the YSEALI Innovation Challenge. The project has also worked with MLC administrators on how to manage instructional change to ensure sustainability of the MS2W model. The project created an institutionalization map of each MLC to identify five success factors that determine their capacity for instructional change. The institutionalization map is now being used as a tool to support MLCs with managing instructional change and developing industry relationships. The project has achieved significant milestones in its third year, including reaching 492 of its instructors using the MekongSkills2Work Network portal, training over 44,551 students, and engaging over 1,138,000 interactions. The project has also reached over 1 million unique views on its posts on the LOWER MEKONG INITIATIVE Facebook Page.