Indonesia Returns to Enliven International Vocational Competition in Timor Leste

Indonesia is once again taking part in a vocational education and training skills event in Timor Leste, which this year is being attended by around 60 international delegates. The event, titled ‘The 2nd Timor-Leste International Friendly Skills Competition: Mastering Skills, Building the Future’, is taking place from 6 to 9 July at two vocational training centres in Dili and Liquiça, Timor Leste. According to an official statement from the Timor Leste Prime Minister’s Office received in Jakarta on Monday, Indonesia also participated in the first edition of the competition in 2023, alongside Australia and Timor Leste as participants, while China and Malaysia attended as observer countries. This year, the competition features representatives from eight participating countries, including Indonesia and Malaysia representing the Southeast Asian region. Several countries from the Pacific region, such as Fiji, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu, have also registered contestants and expert judges. Meanwhile, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu are attending as observer countries. The Timor Leste National Institute for Workforce Development, as the main organiser, stated that the friendly competition is being contested by 36 participants, comprising 22 national-level and 14 international-level contestants. The event also involves 41 expert judges, with 23 being national judges and 15 international judges. The event is expected to attract more than 1,000 visitors. Participants will compete in four competition categories: electrical installation, cooking, and restaurant service, held at the Centro Formação Dom Bosco Comoro training centre in Dili, and welding, held at the CNEFP Tibar training centre in Liquiça. In addition, a series of bilateral meetings, business and institutional exhibitions, technical conferences, thematic workshops, and cultural visits will also be held as part of the competition programme. These various side events aim to facilitate discussion, encourage the exchange of ideas and best practices, bridge the gap between training institutions and the industrial sector, and strengthen cooperation between Timor Leste and countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The Timor Leste National Institute for Workforce Development hopes the event will serve as a strategic platform to promote the capabilities and excellence of Timor Leste’s young generation, increase labour mobility, and strengthen the recognition of the competence of Timor Leste’s workforce at both national and international levels.