93.4% of Manpower in Vietnam Mekong Delta Untrained: Ministry

 

Up to 93.4% of manpower aged 15 and up in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region have not been trained, negatively affecting the region’s FDI attraction and production values, said the Ministry of Education and Training.

 

In fact, the region is in redundancy of unskilled workers, but lack of skilled ones, according to experts from the ministry.

 

The Mekong Delta encompasses 13 cities and provinces which cover an area of four million hectares and boast a population of approximately 18 million, accounting for 22% of the country’s total population. However, it ranks the seventh among regions in the rate of untrained workforce.

 

The region now has 11 universities and 27 colleges and 35 vocational training schools, but they fail to meet increasing demand for trained workforce. 

 

Currently, 20% of regional agriculture laborers are underemployed, a recent survey from the ministry showed, and its literate rate is also lower than other regions.

 

The government and local authorities should join hands to deal with the problem, so that the region can become a key economic region of the country, the ministry urged.

 

The Mekong Delta is the largest rice granary and aquaculture region in Vietnam, making up 50% of the country’s rice output and 52% of the aquatic product volume.

 

During the 2006-2010 period, the region has recorded an annual average GDP growth rate of between 10% and 12%, of which industry and service have contributed an increasing proportion. (Pioneer)