Kaysone Phomvihane, the capital of Savannakhet Province, holds much promise for the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), due to its ideal trading position for both international and local businesses. This potential for growth is not dissimilar to its own youth population. Provided with the right support and trained to match labor market needs, this hopeful generation could have the skills to boost the economy. 

The ASEAN Australia Smart Cities Trust Fund (AASCTF) supported the Kaysone Phomvihane City Government with the Kaysone Self-Learning App to Enhance Youth Employability project. As indicated by the name, the project delivered a skills training mobile app with related educational content that would ease the school-to-work transition of tertiary graduates and improve the labor market.

This project data sheet is part of a collection that features 10 cities with direct interventions from AASCTF. Each data sheet provides a summary of the project, detailing challenges, solutions, and early impacts and benefits, as well how the solutions can be sustained long after project completion. The goal is to showcase how AASCTF has collaborated with the city and partners to catalyze people-centric smart solutions, which can hopefully be replicated or scaled in other Asian cities.

AASCTF is financed by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, managed by the Asian Development Bank, and implemented by Ramboll.