The ASEAN Business Award on Skill Development

The ASEAN Business Awards (ABA) was first launched by the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) in 2007 to mark ASEAN's 40th anniversary. The ABA has been running for over 10 years, recognizing more than 100 outstanding ASEAN businesses that have shown significant progress in establishing and reinforcing their positions in various sectors and contributing to ASEAN’s economic growth and prosperity. In addition, the Awards also bring to the spotlight promising ASEAN small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with the potential to become global economic players.

Since 2019, ASEAN-BAC with support of the German government's Regional Cooperation Programme for Technical and Vocational Education and Training in ASEAN (RECOTVET) have launched the new category called the ASEAN Skills Development Award. The Award highlights the role human capital plays in the growth of companies and the economy of the region as a whole. The new category recognizes outstanding companies that have demonstrated a significant contribution to human capital development, especially in the current context of technological disruption.

The ABA welcomes all eligible companies which are improving the quality of skills of the workforce through skilling, reskilling or upskilling activities to submit an application. Companies who actively cooperate with public training institutes or government authorities, who prepare the workforce for Industry 4.0 or whose activities are easily replicable in other sectors or ASEAN members states are particularly encouraged to apply. Examples of human capital development activities that companies might engage in are: offering guided internships or apprenticeships for students from technical or vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, supporting the development of skill standards or labour-market oriented training curricula, upgrading the skills of teachers, unemployed workers or existing company staff, or providing career orientation for young people.
Winners of the Skills Development Award are expected to be companies that set an inspiring example for other businesses in contributing to the human capital development of ASEAN’s workforce.