Providing the skills to get a job
We set up the PSE Institute for Vocational Training in Phnom Penh, since the only way for underprivileged youngsters to integrate back into Cambodian society, with dignity, is for them to learn a trade. In a country where everything had been destroyed, there were no proper training facilities. The PSE Institute has about 1,500 students.
Three schools - Hotel & Tourism school, Business school and Trade & Technology school – offer about twenty vocational training courses to train students to the needs the Cambodian labour market.
Almost all our graduates find a qualified job.
Officially recognized by the Royal Government of Cambodia, the PSE Institute awards diplomas accredited by the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training.
In order to take care of children throughout their journey at PSE, your long-term support is essential: this is sponsorship!
The best possible training
We want the best training for the poorest - not poor training for the poor - because our youngsters have only their skills to find employment.
We created our training courses with the support of major European companies, they provide an ongoing support through regular reviews, advice and training for our teachers: Norauto for auto mechanics and motorcycle industry, ESSEC Business School for the degress offered by our Business School, several French CFA (Apprentice Training Centres) for construction industries, the Serge Comtesse Group for our hairdressing course...
Each of our schools has an advisory committee made up of local employer representatives. The employers advise our teams and share their needs to ensure we deliver courses that match expectations.
The spirit of our vocational training
Our organisation is dedicated to the success of the youngsters and has been developed pragmatically, from the bottom up.
We take care of young people from extremely poor families. Their families need them to earn a living and help out rapidly. But the general level of education of many children is still low, despite the improvements we see resulting from our schooling.
For that reason preparatory and bridging classes are offered by the PSE Institute to provide students with a path to our vocational training courses.
Vocational Training tends to last two years - three years for some courses. We give intermediate levels of certification, which allows youngsters to get credit for their training even if they cannot complete the whole course.
Prioritising practical experience!
A large proportion of our courses provide practical experience and internships, so that students are fully operational at the end of their course: restaurants, hotels and shops, car and motorcycle workshops, hairdressers...
The close relationships we have developed with local companies provide many opportunities to gain practical experience, such as conducting market studies or participating in commercial operations for our students from the Business School.
Development of personal and interpersonal skills
Promoting social change
At the Institute, we train our students to develop the personal and relationship skills expected from them in the labour market: attitude, ethics, teamwork, leadership development. We promote social change in Cambodia by sharing our values of commitment and social responsibility with our students.
Preparatory and bridging classes
Our preparatory classes cater for young people aged 17, a year of courses between secondary school and vocational training. They study Khmer, Mathematics and English intensively. They are introduced to the basics of businesses and learn about the different trades and prepare for their vocational training.
Recently, our team has developed, in collaboration with the Cambodian Ministry of Vocational Training, a new “bridging course", textbooks are geared towards 14 to 16 year-old students who have fallen behind at school; the course facilitates their access to vocational training.
We welcome students to the bridging classes depending on their age and grades.
Five schools and more than 20 vocational training courses!
Hospitality & Tourism School
The school offers 5 courses:
- Cooking and Pastry
- Food & Beverage service
- Front office
- Housekeeping and Laundry
- Hairdressing, Makeup
It trains nearly 250 students and is a member of Asset H&C, a unique network of innovative vocational training centres that promote the social and economic inclusion of vulnerable people in Southeast Asi, through training and professional integration in hospitality and catering.
Business school
It offers 6 courses, accessible from different levels of schooling, leading to various professions in business and commerce.
- BAC PRO : Management & Accounting
- BAC PRO : Sales
- BTS (bac+2) : Retail Business/Distribution
- BTS (bac+2) : Human Resources
- BTS (bac+2) : Accounting
- Bachelor degree: Sales & Marketing
- Bachelor degree: Management & Accounting
The School trains over 350 students.
Mechanics
The training takes place over 2 years and is accessible from the age of 16 and is equivalent to a CAP or Bac Pro level. The school offers 2 courses :
- Automotive
- Motorbike
Nearly 150 students follow this training.
Construction trades
A 2-year practical training course leading to a qualification equivalent to a CAP or Bac Pro. Three courses are offered in promising sectors of the building industry:
- Building maintenance
- Electricity
- Plumbing/air conditioning
The school has approximately 150 students.
Film School
hanks to our partnership with the Louis Lumière National School, our students benefits from a curriculum of excellence. The school offers 2 courses :
- Cinematography
- Post-production
Created a few years ago, this School trains about 50 students.
More information about the school and the students' projects
Opportunities for everyone beyond our professional training
Agroecology
In Cambodia, as everywhere in the world, the question of the evolution of our environmental practices is fundamental for the future of all. Agriculture plays a predominant role in the country, with 76% of the population living in rural areas. It will have to adapt.
With the double objective of innovating to promote and facilitate this change and to give access to qualified employment to young disadvantaged Cambodians, PSE has launched in 2021 on its Siem Reap site a professional training course in agro-ecology, in partnership with the associations "Ecole du Bayon", which runs the school on a daily basis, and "Vivre sa Terre", which brings its technical and pedagogical expertise.
Each year, about fifteen students follow this 12-month training course in agro-ecology techniques: agronomy (study of soils, control of seeds, etc.), animal husbandry and processing of production.
Other undergraduate courses
Not all our youngsters choose to do vocational training.
Thanks to the success of our remedial education, a growing number of them, hardworking and academically gifted, can consider higher education after completing secondary school. Some attend undergraduate courses at our Business School or go to university. Others join, with our help, quality training courses offered by other NGOs. They can aspire to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, computer scientists…
Short vocational courses
For young people who have dropped out of school and for whom the duration of our vocational training courses is too long, PSE offers short vocational training courses in cooking, home employment (cleaning, pastry-making, coffee) and beauty care.
Other training courses are offered with external partners such as telephone repair.
The training includes support for professional integration through individual counselling for trainees, soft skills courses, as well as exchanges and follow-up with employer companies.
160 young people and young adults aged 14-17 to 30, at high risk of dropping out of their educational programme at PSE (schooling or vocational training) are currently integrated in this programme.
Guaranteeing children a full education through sponsorship
The work of PSE For a Child's Smile is indispensable: it allows children to realise their dream of going to school and to regain hope for a dignified future.
But learning takes time, as does training to become a responsible citizen and to leave poverty behind. On average, children in PSE's care remain in the programmes for 10 years. This is why PSE has set up a sponsorship system: a guarantee that we can take care of the children until they finish their schooling, until they find a job that will allow them to live with dignity.
We can't leave children by the wayside!