On October 23rd, 2023, the Vice Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs and Minister of Tourism and Environment, Francisco Kalbuadi Lay, representing the Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, presided over the inauguration of the First Timor-Leste International Skills Week and the 34th Meeting of the SEAMEO VOCTECH Board of Directors. 
SEAMEO VOCTECH, the Regional Centre of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization, established in 1990 in Brunei Darussalam, aims to support SEAMEO member countries in identifying and resolving common challenges in vocational and technical education. To fulfil this aim, SEAMEO VOCTECH promotes various initiatives covering professional development, research, and consultancy, and fosters collaboration between Governments, educational institutions and other stakeholders. The countries covered by SEAMEO VOC TECH include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.
In his speech, Francisco Kalbuadi Lay stressed the importance of this event as a “platform to highlight the importance of skills development in achieving sustainable development and promoting innovation in Timor-Leste”. 
The Vice Prime Minister stressed that “skills development is crucial to the success and prosperity of all nations” by “providing people with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to participate effectively in their communities and economies”.
He added that “by investing in vocational and technical training, countries can equip their citizens with the skills they need to enter the job market, generate economic growth and tackle social issues by investing in vocational and technical training”.
The Minister of Education, Dulce de Jesus Soares, the Secretary of State of General Secondary Education and Vocational Secondary Education, Domingos Lopes Lemos, and the Secretary of State for Cooperatives, Arsénio Pereira da Silva, also took part in the event.