U.S. Expands Support in IT Job Skills Training for the Disabled

U.S. government support ensured that 44 Vietnamese graduates with disabilities received computer skills training and certificates from Van Lang University. They are now ready to join the job market.

 

In a project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Van Lang University and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), 23 of the graduates completed a year-long course in software engineering and another 21 students completed a three-month program in basic information technology (IT) skills.

 

“This is a very meaningful project for people with disabilities, which will help them access higher education and the job market,” said Mr. Do Quoc Anh of the Ministry of Education and Training in Ho Chi Minh City.

 

A new group of 21 students is currently enrolled in an architecture engineering design course, and an additional 12 participants with visual impairments began study in a second three-month short training course in basic computing. In August, 43 students graduated from businesses processing and outsourcing and architecture engineering design courses.

 

The IT training program at Van Lang University is modeled after a successful two-year project in Hanoi, carried out in collaboration among the Hanoi College of Information and Technology, USAID, and CRS.

 

By June 2010, the Information Technology Training Project will have trained at least 400 students in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. More than 78% of this project’s gradates have found full-time employment or internships with local companies in Vietnam’s growing IT sector.

 

“This program demonstrates the ongoing commitment of the U.S. Government to assisting persons with disabilities in Vietnam,” said Angela Dickey, Deputy Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. USAID Mission Director, Frank Donovan added, “This shows how people with disabilities can integrate successfully with and contribute to Vietnam’s growing economy.”