The program for the event includes a workshop on youth employment and a series of documentaries about Switzerland, vocational training and other topics.

“We will discuss the opportunities that young people have to get business-relevant education in Myanmar’s large cities. The goal of the April event is to create opportunities for young people to get good jobs through vocational training,” said Daw Win Myat Wai, of the Swiss Embassy in Yangon.

A broad array of participants have been invited to attend, including current and former students at government technical colleges and high schools, local business owners, and representatives from non-governmental and civil society organizations.

Daw Aye Thin Zar Aung, the Communications Manager at the Embassy said, “Even though many students pass the 10th standard, they often still have difficulty securing a job. So we want vocational training to correct the market and ensure that even people who cannot afford [a university] education can go into business and earn money.”

Embassy staff announced the event at a press conference held on March 8, at the Ngwe Moe Hotel in Mawlamyine Capital, formerly known as Moulmein. The exhibition will run from 8:30am to 3:30pm on April 3 at the Mon State Hall in the capital.

In a Facebook post, the Swiss Embassy explained that it was pursuing vocational, rather than academic programs based on the success of the Swiss economic model which, the post says, relies heavily on vocational training.

The April event is part of a wider celebration of 60 years of bilateral relations between the two countries. Programs focused around the themes of “Vocational Training” and “Federalism” will take place throughout the year in Yangon, Mandalay, Mawlamyine and Pathein.