Economy
Cambodia, Box Hill Institute Plan Automotive Skills Hub to Drive Industry Growth
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Nov. 21, 2025) — Cambodia’s Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation and Melbourne-based Box Hill Institute are planning to launch the country’s first Automotive Centre of Excellence, a skills hub designed to train workers for the automotive industry and reduce reliance on imported labor.
Ahead of the soft launch, Minister Hem Vanndy met on Thursday with a Box Hill Institute delegation to discuss cooperation on technical skills development. The institute, one of Australia’s leading vocational education providers, presented its global expertise and highlighted its work with the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training to establish the center, a model it has already implemented in India and at its flagship campus in Melbourne.
Vanndy outlined the ministry’s vision to align training programs with Cambodia’s industrial priorities, stressing the need for specialized courses in agri-food processing, automotive and electronics, and emerging fields such as biotechnology. He emphasized the growing influence of artificial intelligence and the importance of transforming vocational schools from offering generic courses to developing sector-specific specializations.
The minister proposed expanding the Automotive Centre of Excellence model to other strategic sectors, partnering with the National Productivity Centre of Cambodia to strengthen industry training, and supporting small and medium-sized enterprise upskilling. He also noted the government’s informal-economy program, which will soon provide skills vouchers to more than 200,000 registered workers.
Box Hill Institute expressed strong interest in deepening the partnership, saying the success of the Automotive Centre of Excellence would anchor future expansion. The institute sought ministry support in connecting manufacturers and SMEs to the center and exploring clean-energy skills development in electric vehicles, hydrogen and solar technologies.
Both sides said they are confident the Automotive Centre of Excellence will serve as a first step toward a broader skills development partnership.
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