Cambodia has never lacked ambition in its industrial policy, but ambition alone does not fix engines or service electric vehicles. For years, the country has released detailed roadmaps aimed at moving beyond low cost labour and into higher value manufacturing and technical services. The government’s 2022 strategy set an ambitious target of creating 26000 new jobs in the automotive and electronics sectors. At the same time, vehicle imports have continued to rise and consumer demand has shifted faster than expected. In 2024, electric vehicle registrations surged by 620 percent compared to the previous year. The reason is not just policy support but economics. Official figures show that running an EV costs about 2.34 dollars per 100 kilometres, compared to 8.69 dollars for a gasoline vehicle. Yet behind these impressive numbers lies a persistent problem. Cambodia still lacks enough skilled technicians who are work ready, trusted by employers, and capable of handling the high voltage systems that now dominate modern workshops.

How Does the Global Technician Shortage Make Cambodia’s Challenge More Urgent?

Cambodia’s skills gap is not happening in isolation. It mirrors a global bottleneck. In January, Ford CEO Jim Farley warned that the United States was “in trouble,” pointing to 5000 unfilled mechanic positions, some offering six figure salaries, and blaming the shortage on the decline of trade schools. If the world’s largest economy is struggling to find qualified technicians, the stakes for Cambodia are even higher. Without a reliable domestic talent pipeline, the country risks slowing its own automotive growth or relying heavily on foreign specialists. The question is no longer whether Cambodia needs more technicians, but how quickly it can build a system that produces them at the right standard.

What Is the Automotive Centre of Excellence Cambodia and Why Was It Created?

This is where the Automotive Centre of Excellence Cambodia, or ACE C, enters the picture. Rather than operating as a conventional vocational school or a donor funded project, ACE C was designed as a targeted solution to a specific mismatch between policy goals and practical capability. It is the result of a public private partnership between the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, RMA Cambodia, and Kangan Institute in Australia, one of the country’s largest training providers, which educated nearly 37000 students last year. “The problem we’re trying to solve isn’t effort or motivation,” said David Van, CEO of ACE C. “It’s that most training systems are not designed around how work actually happens in a modern workshop.” For RMA Cambodia Group CEO Ngorn Saing, the lesson was clear after visiting Kangan Institute’s Automotive Centre of Excellence in Melbourne in 2024. “It was obvious that skills development only works when industry is genuinely involved, not consulted at the margins,” he said. “If we want reliable technicians, we have to help build the system that trains them.”

Why Did Industry Leaders Decide to Take Direct Action?

The partnership behind ACE C is rooted in shared experience. Before leading the new centre, Van worked closely with Saing during his earlier tenure at RMA decades ago. Both had firsthand exposure to chronic technician shortages and the need to depend on foreign expertise. “When you’ve been responsible for hiring and performance, you see the gaps very clearly,” Van said. “Graduates may have certificates, but employers still don’t trust them on day one.” Saing acknowledged that RMA had supported technical schools for years through materials, curricula, and lecturer training, yet the gap persisted. “We supported technical schools for years—materials, curricula, even lecturer training,” he said. “But the gap remained. The industry was growing faster than the system.”

How Does the Earn and Learn Model Change Vocational Training?

ACE C deliberately began with a modest first intake of 60 students in February. “We made a very conscious decision to start small,” Van said. “Year one is about validating the model, not chasing numbers.” The students come from mixed backgrounds, including 20 trainees from RMA’s dealership and factory network as well as graduates from other vocational institutions. Many already have workshop exposure but lack experience with advanced diagnostics and EV safety protocols. For those employed by RMA, participation is not symbolic. “For those already working with us, this isn’t symbolic training,” Saing said. “They continue to receive full salaries while they study. We’re upgrading skills, not pulling people out of the workforce.” At the core of the model is Earn and Learn, which integrates structured instruction with real world workshop experience. “Classroom learning has a role,” Van said. “But competence is built on the job, under supervision, with real vehicles and real consequences.”

Can International Exposure Strengthen Local Capacity?

From the initial cohort, between 10 and 20 students will be selected for further training in Adelaide under an Earn and Learn arrangement supported by the South Australia government. Selection will depend on performance and employer feedback. Some may transition into employment in Australia, subject to approvals, while others will return to Cambodia with advanced expertise. “The intention is circulation, not extraction,” Van said. “Skills should move, then come back stronger.”

What Does Success Look Like for ACE C?

ACE C does not aim to replace respected institutions such as Don Bosco schools or public TVET centres. Instead, it adds a specialised layer focused on advanced diagnostics, modern vehicle systems, and high voltage safety standards. In a market where EV adoption has multiplied within a year, curriculum agility is essential. In its first year, ACE C expects to train between 300 and 500 students, with long term capacity reaching up to 3000 annually. However, its leaders argue that the true measure of success will be employer trust rather than enrollment figures.

Conclusion

Cambodia’s automotive ambitions will ultimately be tested not by policy documents but by the competence of technicians on the workshop floor. With EV adoption accelerating and global competition for skilled labour intensifying, initiatives like ACE C represent more than training programmes. They are investments in industrial infrastructure. By aligning government strategy with industry demand and practical experience, Cambodia is attempting to close the gap between policy and paycheque and build a workforce that truly works.