The Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department is planning to issue Grade 2 skilled worker certificates to poultry workers from 2019-2020 fiscal year.

The National Skills Standards Authority has drawn up the norms for issuing the certification after scrutinizing the skills of poultry workers. The NSSA has conducted preliminary experimental tests to check if poultry workers meet the prescribed norms.

“We plan to construct a settlement center in Insein to conduct both theory and practical tests. Then, we will issue the certificates after examining their skills at the center. We expect to issue the certificates within the 2019-2020 fiscal year,” said Dr. Win Oo, the Deputy Director of the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department.

“The norms for skilled labour in the breeding sector have already been formulated since June, 2018. The draft norms for skills have been set with the assistance of GIZ. And the draft has been submitted to the NSSA on 19 February,” he said.

“Upon obtaining the skilled worker certificate, poultry workers will be able to demand wages which are offered to their counterparts with the same skills,” said Dr. Win Oo at the Myanmar Livestock Federation on 25 June.

“Our workers will have confidence in themselves when foreign investments enter our country with the introduction of Asia Free Trade in the near future. Then, they could say that they have proven ability as they are holding this certificate,” he added. According to the Employment and Skill Development Law enacted on 31 August, 2013, the Myanmar Labour Skills Norms Specifying and Defining Committee shall formulate, add to, and amend the skills standards, recognize and register private vocational training schools, conduct assessments in accordance with the employment skills standards, register the skills assessment department, hold labour skills competitions, and implement the fund-raising process.

The committee was formed with ministers, private entrepreneurs, principals of vocational training schools, and experts.

“It (the certification) will benefit both poultry entrepreneurs and poultry workers. For example, poultry entrepreneurs may not know the skills of prospective workers, but they may appoint them to run their businesses.

Now, only if applicants can produce the certificates, we will recruit them, and thus, we can be assured that at least they have the required skills for poultry farming,” said Dr. Kyaw Htein, Vice Chairman 1 of the Myanmar Livestock Federation.

Poultry workers must have at least 6 months’ experience and recommendations from related employers to obtain the skills certificates.

Around 50,000 poultry workers are working in commercial-scale poultry farming businesses in Myanmar, according to the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department.

By Aye Yamone(Translated by Hay Mar)