Vocational training programmes in Cambodia
17 professional fields, one goal: to train young Cambodians in skills that meet labour market needs and help them build better lives. Our current programmes range from agriculture and skilled trades to hospitality, with scope for further areas in the future.
Agriculture
Our staff receive training in advanced cultivation methods. Long beans, bitter melons, mangoes and more than 30 other fruit and vegetable varieties grow in the fields and greenhouses of the Smiling Gecko Farm. Much of our produce meets the campus’s own needs. Surpluses are sold in Cambodia through Smiling Goods or, especially, used for immediate local relief in the emergencies that sadly remain all too frequent.
Animal farming
Our animal farming currently focuses on fish and chickens. Fish is a cornerstone of the Cambodian diet, which is why we have developed fish breeding and rearing. Alongside fingerlings for rearing both on and off campus, we now produce around 14 tonnes of ready-to-cook fish each year for our kitchens and the Cambodian market.
Carpentry
Our well-equipped carpentry workshop produces much of the furniture at the Farmhouse Resort, as well as a wide range of handcrafted items sold at the resort and through Smiling Goods. Looking for Christmas gifts for your company? We would be happy to discuss the possibilities.
Metal workshop
Opened in 2023, the metal workshop is our newest vocational training facility. It is a valuable addition, as we benefit greatly from the team’s skills ourselves. Whether it is floating cages for our fish farm or other metal structures, we can usually repair or make what we need in-house.
Sewing workshop
Our small sewing studio matters for two reasons. It provides vocational training, and it shows Cambodians that sewing need not mean exploitation: in a safe, dignified working environment, it can be a rewarding and enjoyable profession.
Central kitchen
Our central kitchen prepares well over 1,000 meals a day for staff and the school. It is the engine room of the Smiling Gecko Campus: without its vital contribution, campus life would simply not function. It is also where we established our first partnership with Global Swiss Learning to use its practical blended-learning programmes.
Butchery
Our butchery produces high-quality meat products served in our own restaurants and luxury hotels in Phnom Penh. We make and smoke our own sausages, salami and ham. Chickens from our poultry farm are also prepared here for cooking.
Bakery
Cambodia’s love of baguettes is one of the enduring legacies of the French colonial era. Bread is also a staple and an important source of energy on campus. All our baked goods come from our own bakery.
Hospitality
At the Farmhouse Resort & Spa, we train people in every profession found in a modern hotel, from front desk to housekeeping. Our trainees learn on the job and work with real guests from day one.
Further programmes
We provide training in business-related fields, including finance and human resources, both on the Smiling Gecko Campus and at our office in Phnom Penh.