OPINION: TVET Certificate Should Open Doors to University

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By Man Oudom

IPF

Future Forum's junior research fellow Man Oudom was published in Cambodianess on December 27th, 2026. Check out the original article HERE, and read it below!

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Photo shows vocational training students at the National Vocation Institute of Battambang. Photo by Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training

Recently, as Cambodia announced the results of the High School Diploma Examination (Bac II), thousands of young people across the country celebrated a milestone that marks entry into higher education.

Yet, while the spotlight shines on these graduates, another equally capable group remains overlooked: the young Cambodians who pursued technical and vocational training (TVET). Skilled and ambitious, they find university doors closed not for lack of ability, but because the system has yet to recognize a clear pathway from TVET to higher education.

Cambodia’s education system is divided into two main tracks: general education under the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) and TVET under the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MLVT). 

Although both serve vital and complementary purposes, limited coordination, particularly regarding the Cambodian Qualification Framework (CQF), has created two parallel systems that rarely intersect. This institutional structure prevents students from transitioning smoothly between vocational and academic pathways, restricting educational mobility and opportunity. 

Cambodia must act now to build a bridge between vocational and academic education. Through stronger coordination between ministries and fuller use of CQF, the country can establish structured pathways that make TVET and higher education complementary, not exclusive. 

 Role of the Cambodia Qualifications Framework 

The CQF was designed to create a nationally consistent and flexible system for recognizing qualifications. It ensures that no matter where or how individual learners come from, whether from the classroom, workshop or workplace, their skills and knowledge can be formally recognized and transferred across different education levels. 

Its purpose is to make learning outcomes transparent and transferable, allowing individuals to progress through education and employment based on competency.  

According to the CQF, TVET Certificate Level 3 (CQF Level 4) is equivalent to an upper-secondary diploma (Grade 12). This equivalency theoretically enables a graduate from TVET Level 3 to access university-level programs in related fields. 

Despite this formal equivalence in the framework, most universities in Cambodia still require a Grade 12 diploma as a prerequisite. 

As already recognized under the CQF, both TVET Level 3 and Grade 12 reflect equivalent learning levels. Both help students develop practical knowledge, ethical behavior, and independent problem-solving skills. 

The difference is their focus; TVET is more hands-on and technical, while general education gives students broad academic knowledge. This means that TVET students wishing to pursue university programs in related fields would only need to demonstrate foundational knowledge in core subjects for their selected degree, such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and languages equivalent to the Grade 12 level.

Significance of the Issue 

Denying TVET students access to higher education limits thousands of capable young people who choose vocational training for its practicality and affordability, leaving them without a path to advance their skills or qualifications in university. 

Choosing the TVET pathway reflects a different learning preference, not a lesser one. Therefore, the system should create flexible pathways that allow movement between technical and academic tracks. 

This also extends to equity and inclusion. As of May 2025, more than 121,729 young people, nearly 50,000 of whom were from poor and vulnerable family backgrounds, had applied for technical and vocational training. 

They chose vocational training because it was affordable and led directly to employment. Denying these students access to higher education reinforces a two-tier system: one academic and privileged, the other technical and constrained by systematic barriers to higher education. 

This deepens inequality and contradicts Cambodia’s stated commitment to lifelong learning and inclusive growth. 

Issuing a Joint Prakas to Institutionalize CQF Equivalency

At the center of this issue lies the CQF, a powerful but underutilized tool. To integrate TVET and general education, the CQF must move from being a reference document to an active coordination mechanism. 

MoEYS and MLVT should jointly issue a prakas (ministerial regulation) affirming that a TVET Certificate Level 3 (CQF Level 4) qualifies holders for entry into relevant bachelor’s degree programs. 

This would serve as a policy anchor to institutionalize equivalence across ministries, ensuring that universities can accept qualified TVET graduates without undermining academic standards. 

Universities would be permitted to use bridging programs or placement assessments to verify readiness in core academic subjects such as Khmer language and literature, mathematics, science, social studies, and English or other languages.

To ensure coherent and effective implementation, the relevant ministries, particularly MLVT, should take primary responsibility for drafting a comprehensive set of frameworks and regulations that define how bridging programs and placement assessments are to be developed, administered, and recognized across universities. 

These regulations should include a clear prioritization of bachelor’s degree majors most relevant for TVET-to-university progression, focusing initially on applied and high-demand fields such as cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. 

By providing such structured national guidance, universities would have a consistent policy foundation to adopt these mechanisms within selected programs, rather than interpreting the framework independently. 

This approach would prevent fragmented implementation, safeguard academic standards, and promote transparency in the transition of technical graduates to higher education. 

Ultimately, this top-down clarity would accelerate institutional adoption, enhance public trust in the bridging and assessment process, and reinforce the CQF’s role as the backbone of Cambodia’s unified, mobility-oriented education system.

For example, under the CQF, students who earn a TVET Certificate Level 3 in Internal Electrical System already meet the same national qualification level as a Grade 12 graduate. 

If universities recognized this equivalency, such students could enroll in a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering by first completing a short bridging program or passing a placement test, to demonstrate competency in other subjects like mathematics or English. 

Bridging Program and Placement Assessments as an Alternative Pathway

A practical first step would be to pilot bridging programs at selected public and private universities. Given their strong engagement in applied sciences and existing collaboration with technical high schools, universities such as the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC), Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), Norton University and SETEC Institute are well-positioned to serve as pilot sites. 

These universities could partner with major TVET institutions to establish clear progression routes for qualified TVET Certificate Level 3 graduates into related bachelor’s degree programs. 

Designed as short, one-term bridging courses, these programs would strengthen academic foundations in key areas such as mathematics, English and discipline-specific knowledge, ensuring students are fully prepared for university-level study. 

Graduates who successfully complete these modules would then qualify for direct entry into aligned degree programs. This approach maintains academic rigor while opening a fair, structured, and inclusive pathway for technically skilled learners to continue their education and expand career opportunities.

For TVET Certificate Level 3 students who have already attained sufficient general knowledge, whether through formal learning or informal learning, a placement assessment could serve as an alternative entry route. 

The assessment would evaluate essential competencies in mathematics, physics, language and analytical reasoning, mirroring upper-secondary education standards. Students who meet the required proficiency level could gain direct admission into related university programs without the need for a bridging course. 

This approach ensures flexibility, efficiency and inclusivity, recognizing that valuable learning occurs both within and beyond formal education systems and that rigid institutional barriers should not hold back capable learners.

Implementing these measures would represent a decisive step toward realizing the full potential of the CQF and modernizing the country’s education system. By establishing clear progression routes between TVET and higher education, Cambodia would not only make the CQF a truly operational framework but also promote a more inclusive, efficient, and future-ready learning ecosystem. 

This would signal a national shift from parallel education tracks to an interconnected system where learning, whether academic or technical, is valued equally and mobility is possible at every stage.

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