The Skills Development Fund (SDF) was a pivotal initiative managed and implemented by the Department of Macroeconomic and Fiscal Policy (DMFP) under the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) of the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC). Established through MEF Prakas No.265 SHV-BrK on 12 March 2018, the SDF aims to address industry needs through co-financed skills development projects in collaboration with governmental institutions, industries, training providers, and development partners. To sustain this initiative, the SDF Pilot Project had been institutionalized by Sub-decree No. 97 RNKr.BK dated 18 May 2023 and has been managed by the Board of Directors (BOD) and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The SDF consists of 4 divisions: 1). Public Relations, 2). Monitoring and Evaluation, 3). Skills Development Strategy, and 4). Admin and Finance. The SDF has a vision, and a mission as follows:

Vision: to become the most trusted financing platform for demand-driven and sustainable skills development to support the realization of the 2023 & 2050 visions of the RGC.

Mission: To stimulate pragmatic partnerships between employers and quality training providers.

SDF currently offers four schemes through which training proposals may seek co-financing:

1. Scheme for Large Firms– Upskilling for existing workers and pre employment training for prospective hires; joint proposals between firms and training institutions are mandatory.
2. Scheme for Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) – Identical training types as above but limited to SMEs; proposals may be submitted by individual SMEs, consortia, or business associations in partnership with training providers.
3. Scheme for SME Owners & Management Teams – Soft skill and managerial training (leadership, HR, finance, taxation, etc.) targeting SME executives; collective applications encouraged.
4. Scheme for Training of Trainers (ToT) – Upskilling trainers from institutes and industry; joint proposals between training institutes and firms identify trainer pipelines.