Unlock regional human capital potential

The event was organised by the US-Asean Business Council with the support of the Educational Testing Service (ETS), Hewlett-Packard (HP), Intel, the Coca Cola Company and Mercer.

"In some of Asean's rapidly growing industries, the demand for skilled professionals has outpaced the supply, and U.S. business is eager to support the continued development of Asean's talent base," said Marc Mealy, Vice President-Policy at the US-Asean Business Council. "Human capital and skills development, along with the ability of skilled professionals to move freely throughout Asean represent strategic elements for enhancing the global competitiveness and growth potential of every Asean nation as they move towards the formation of the Asean Economic Community. Such areas are also critical to ongoing initiatives to support development gap closing, economic upgrading, and more inclusive & ‘people centred’ growth initiatives," said Kirk Wagar, US Ambassador to Singapore and a representative from the Asean Secretariat.

The event consisted of a series of panel discussions on unleashing the power of human capital and exploring opportunities to create greater public-private engagement to deepen 21st century skill levels in Asean prior to the full implementation of the Asean Economic Community (AEC). 

"ETS is committed to helping organisations and companies within the ASEAN region identify and develop individuals with the necessary skills for building a stronger workforce," said Mohammad Kousah, General Manager of the Global Education & Workforce Division at ETS. "We recognise the important role of English proficiency and workplace performance predictors in business and economic growth, and we support the focus ASEAN is placing on developing human capital." 

Executives from global companies such as ETS, HP, and Intel led a series of panel discussions featuring private sector, academic and government officials on topics including: Partnerships for Education & Competitiveness; Unleashing the Power of Human Capital: Workforce Strategy, Skills and Standards; and Building an Asean Workforce for the Future. 

In addition to discussions among a wide range of stakeholders, the forum also included a networking activity for sixty young professionals from all ten Asean nations currently participating in the Young Southeast Asia Leaders Initiative (YSEALI). 

Dr. Anjan Ghosh, head of Corporate Affairs for Asia-Pacific at Intel noted: “Innovation and partnership are the new ‘factors of production’, that are fundamental to economic growth and global competitiveness in the 21st century. Government-industry-academia partnerships are key to addressing employability, building innovation capacity and accelerating economic transformation.”