Dr SONG Sopheak
Deputy Executive Director
Dr Song Sopheak is the Deputy Executive Director in charge of research at CDRI. Prior to this current position, he had been with CDRI’s Centre for Educational Research and Innovation since 2016, first as the research fellow and then the director between 2020 and 2022. His international experience in research career includes fellowships at the Global Career Design Center of Hiroshima University, Japan; at the Centre for the Study of Higher Education, University of Melbourne, Australia; and at the Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, Switzerland. At CDRI, he has led several research projects on post-secondary education and training in Cambodia with focus on STEM education, workforce development, employer engagement, and technology integration in education. Dr Song Sopheak holds a PhD in Educational Science and Humanities from Hiroshima University, Japan.


The Royal Government of Cambodia acknowledges the vital role of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in developing a high-quality workforce to better respond to labor market demand and contribute to the national development agenda. In the past decade, with support from and collaboration with development partners, the Government ha...

This study explored students’ entrepreneurial intention (EI) and identified the factors influencing EI under individual, social and educational dimensions. Using a nationally representative survey conducted in 2021 with 834 university students, we found that many students had a strong EI. From the regression analysis, we can confirm that the develo...

Entrepreneurship is crucial to advancing the economy of Cambodia and fostering the development of society. The Royal Government of Cambodia has recognised the importance of entrepreneurship and included the promotion and entrepreneurship education in multiple policies and strategy. Universities and higher education institutes have been more active...

Understanding what determines a worker’s passion for skills training has important policy implications, particularly in the current context of the fourth industrial revolution, in which knowledge is deemed obsolete within several years. The purpose of this study is to answer a specific question: are higher-ability garment workers more likely to eng...

This study intends to identify existing permeability pathways between post-secondary education and training in Cambodia and to highlight hindrances that hamper the smooth permeability between the two systems. Adopting a hybrid process, the study combines both inductive and deductive thematic analysis approaches in coding transcribed interviews at 1...

Strengthening the quality of education, science and technology education is one of the four strategic rectangles of Rectangular Strategy Phase IV and at the heart of Cambodia’s ambition to achieve higher-middle-income status by 2030 and high-income status by 2050. To that end, increasing attention has been paid to improving both the quantity and qu...

The emergence of global knowledge societies makes it necessary for Cambodian Post-Secondary Education and Training (PSET) system to: accelerate its knowledge-creation function, leading to academic excellence and intellectual prowess; cultivate vocational value, professional quality, and workplace learning habits in its students; build a robust...

The study assesses current and future demand for and supply of digital and ICT skills and investigates the challenges firms of all sizes, universities, and TVET institutions face in preparing themselves and their students for digital technology adoption under the framework of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). A mixed-methods approach of quant...

The distinction between vocational training and academic education can be traced back to different institutional structures in medieval Europe. However, owing to an increasing need for higher-level skills to respond to market demand, countries have resolved to establish flexible pathways for students on both tracks or systems to move or transfer ac...

This study aimed to identify the current skills of Cambodian garment workers, whether or not they wanted to gain new skills and, if so, what those were. The results revealed that the greatest percentage – 60 – had acquired sewing skills, followed by quality control and packaging skills. More than two-thirds were also able to read, write and calcula...

The innovation and entrepreneurial activities have multiplied recently, with many new companies emerging in various industries. However, start-ups face many challenges, such as access to talent, idea, markets, and funding. Creating new idea or launching business is essential to have partners that can stimulate their thoughts and elevate both ca...

The ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI) works to leverage Science & Technology to address common problems faced in the ASEAN region and to raise the level of scientific and technological advancement in ASEAN Member States (AMS). The work of the Committee is guided by the ASEAN Plan of Action on Science, Technology & Innova...

This is a part of the Supporting Holistic and Actionable Research in Education (SHARE), a five-year cooperative agreement with the University of Notre Dame (UND) supported by the USAID’s new Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation/Center for Education (DDI/EDU), to advance global education learning priorities to improve learning outcomes....

Under the Capacity Building Research and Development Fund of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, United Nation Development Programme, Cambodia and the Russian Federation, the Cambodia Development Resource Institute in collaboration with the Cambodia Academy of Digital Technology (formerly known as the National Institute of Posts, Telecoms...

This three-year programme is supported by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through The Asia Foundation (TAF)’s Ponlok Chomnes Programme: Data and Dialogue for Development in Cambodia. In this programme CDRI aims at strengthening the capacity of knowledge-sector institutions to undertake quality research, informing publi...

Cambodia has achieved strong growth in the past two decades, and the country has graduated to lower-middle-income status with a per capita income of about USD1,215 (2015). A feat that neighbouring Vietnam achieved in 2010 and Laos in 2011. Building on this achievement, Cambodia aspires to become an upper-middle-income country by 2030 and a high-inc...

The “Higher Education Policy Research & Influencing in Cambodia” was one of the major programmes implemented by the Education Unit of the Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI). Receiving financial support from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the three-year programme aimed to produce independent, objective, hi...