This Focus Area consists of three key components: Human Resource Development, Education and Culture. The common themes that cut across the three components are people empowerment and people-to-people connectivity. This focus area aims to address the issue of skill deficit facing IMT-GT in general and the three Lead Focus Areas (Agriculture and Agro-based, Tourism and Halal Industries) in particular. The issue stands in the way of IMT-GT achieving its long-term development goals of becoming an innovative subregion. The Focus Area also aims at improving labour mobility through regulatory reforms and enhancing people-topeople connectivity through socio-cultural cooperation.

Towards this end, six priority strategies will be pursued, as follows:

1. Implement demand-driven skills trainings
2. Undertake capacity building and knowledge exchange
3. Pilot skills competency recognition in selected professions in IMT-GT
4. Establish a labour market information system in IMT-GT
5. Mainstream the UNINET programme in IMT-GT cooperation effort
6. Intensify cooperation in education, sports, arts, music and other forms of socio-cultural activities and to promote youth engagement and civil society participation