The Government of Savannakhet province, the Foreign Affairs and Trade Department of the Government of Australia, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) jointly launched a new mobile application ‘Kaysone Self-Learning’ on Wednesday at the Lao Chalern Square in Savannakhet.
With the application, students in three education institutes in Kaysone Phomvihane City and across Laos can build through smartphones the soft skills required to start their first jobs.
“Soft skills like negotiation, interpersonal, and problem-solving are not taught in tertiary
schools in Savannakhet Province. Students need these skills to improve their work competence and ethics to prepare for entering the workforce. We thank the ADB and the Government of Australia for their support in developing this application,” said Mr. Prasongsin Chaleunsouk, Mayor of Kaysone Phomvihane City.
The ‘Kaysone Self-Leaning’ is developed under the Technical Assistance: Enhancement
of Soft Skills for Youth Employment in Kaysone Phomvihane, financed by the ASEAN Australia Smart City Trust Fund.
The technical assistance aims to improve soft skills on preparing for employment preparedness of students at Savannakhet University, Savannakhet Technical and Vocational College, and Xaisombat Technical Institute in Savannakhet province. Youth, job seekers, and graduates from other schools will also benefit from using the application. Companies and manufacturers including those from the Savan-Seno Special Economic Zone provided suggestions for the design of the e-learning materials.
Youth not in employment, education, or training was estimated at 42 percent for females and 36 percent for males in 2022 according to the Lao Bureau of Statistics. A tool such as ‘Kaysone Self-Learning’ is needed to support the school-to-work transition process to reduce youth unemployment and help employers fill their vacancies.
The application provides materials, e-learning videos, and role-play videos that demonstrate, how to prepare a good resume and be well prepared for a job interview. The users of the application will easily access and learn those soft skills on their smartphones.
“The uniqueness of the ‘Kasyone Self-Learning’ app is that the modules have been
developed with extensive participation by students, teaching staff, and employers in the
communities”, says Ms. Sonomi Tanaka, ADB Country Director for Laos. “But the
experience of Kaysone Phonevihane City is applicable to students across the country who feel nervous to jump-start their first work”.
The application launch today is attended also Mme. Lingthong Sentavanh, Vice
Governor of Savannakhet Province; Mr. Pasongsin Chaleunsouk, Mayor of Kaysone
Phomvihane City, Savannakhet province; Mr. Robin Flint, First Secretary of Australian
Embassy; and Mr. Renadi Budiman, Head of Project Administration Unit, Asian Development
Bank-Laos Resident Mission.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia
and the Pacific while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.
