Skills for Success: The Journey of a Returning Migrant Worker Through Skills Development

It was a humid Tuesday afternoon when the International Organization for Migration (IOM) paid a visit to the Polytechnic Institute of Banteay Meanchey (PIBMC). Both Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) trainees and trainers were eager to showcase their newly renovated facilities and share what they had learned or taught in each classroom. Among them was Lihav Hoeurm.  

Four years had passed since Lihav returned from Thailand. Born and raised in the province of Banteay Meanchey in Cambodia, he was 17 years old when his parents could no longer afford sending him to school. With two children to support, they decided to migrate to Thailand in search of better opportunities. Since Lihav had dropped out of high school, he joined them.  

In Thailand, Lihav worked in construction, tying rebar, mixing cement, handling bricks and relocating materials. The physically demanding labour in an isolated worksite made him feel much older than his years. “I was only 17.  My body was not strong enough for such hard labour, nor did I have the energy.”, Lihav recalls. “We worked five days a week, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a two-hour lunch break. After a week of exhuasting labour, we only have time to unwind on weekends, and the market was our only destination.”  

He lived with his parents in a wooden room shared with other migrant workers. There were few people his age in the compound, only children running around the place, their laughter was a reminder of youth and joy. Despite their difficult living situation, Lihav and his parents made sure to take care of their health. If they needed medical attention, their employers would make the initial payment. However, they had to repay the expense by working for an agreed-upon or extended period for little or no salary, otherwise known as debt bondage.  

In 2019, Lihav and his parents returned to Cambodia for vacation. Two weeks later, he decided to no longer go back to Thailand and stay in Cambodia instead. 

Shortly after, Lihav learned about the Poverty Reduction through Safe Migration, Skills Development and Enhanced Job Placement (PROMISE) programme through a promotion in his community. This programme is led by IOM and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). PROMISE aims to improve employment opportunities and conditions for migrant workers in Thailand from Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Myanmar, and returning migrant workers, by providing them with skills training and protection support. 

Lihav has now been in PROMISE for four years, three of which he spent studying civil engineering.

Despite taking up an engineering diploma course for three years, Lihav found his passion in administrative work. With the interdisciplinary nature of the programme, Lihav was able to enhance his administrative skills such as organization, communication, customer service and technology proficiency. He has been volunteering at the PIBMC as administrative staff for over a year now, where he assists with the recording or registration of new trainees, promotes the TVET programme through both in-person or social media platforms and disseminates information to interested applicants. This volunteer experience is the perfect steppingstone for Lihav to fulfill his dreams of one day becoming administrative staff of one of the ministries in the Royal Government of Cambodia.

Lihav resides in the on-campus housing at PIBMC, driven by a desire to assist other trainees, just as he was supported through the PROMISE programme. “I am very grateful for the PROMISE programme for supporting me and countless other returning migrant worker trainees, for providing us opportunities we never imagined possible,”, Lihav told IOM. 

Returning migrants workers, including young people, have the right to build their skills and contribute to the economies of their home countries. IOM is committed to ensuring migrant workers have greater access to skills development and employability abroad and at home. 

This initiative is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), under the Labour Mobility and Social Inclusion division.  

This story was written by Julia Placides, Communications and Gender Associate at IOM Cambodia.