Vocational Training Quality Improvement in Need of Effective Coordination and Cooperation amongst Stakeholders

Speaking at the conference, Mr Nguyen Ngoc Phi, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, emphasised that workmanship development has now become a top priority on the national agenda. This is evidenced by the Government’s commitments and efforts stated in the National Strategy for Vocational Training Development in the 2011 - 2020 period (adopted in May 2012), and its request for amendments and supplements to the Law on Vocational Training. This aims to improve vocational training quality and create a skilled workforce to meet the needs of enterprises and changing requirements of the labour market to enhance productivity, improve competitiveness and generate employment. He said employers have also actively helped in solving skills gap problems in Vietnam in order to build a more skilful and effective workforce for the future. Therefore, the enhanced involvement of employers in vocational training is extremely important.

 

According to VCCI Standing Vice President Hoang Van Dung, entering the stage of integration, Vietnamese enterprises have to face stiff competition from the outside. For that reason, human resource training and workmanship improvement for workers are essential to boost the competitiveness of enterprises. Needless to say, a skilled workforce is one of the decisive factors determining the competitiveness of enterprises in the context of globalisation. Nevertheless, up to 97 per cent of Vietnamese enterprises are now of small scale, usually with insufficient funds for personnel training. This is a snag in vocational training in Vietnam that needs to be removed quickly. To improve training quality and workmanship for workers in the country, there is a need to have more effective coordination and cooperation amongst stakeholders, where employees and employers play important roles. In addition, vocational training institutions also need to be closely linked with employers to train workers according to market needs. This will help ensure the sustainable development of enterprises and demonstrate enterprises’ strong commitments to social responsibility.

 

He said after this meeting, VCCI will continue to coordinate with Molisa and ILO to organise workshops to collect opinions of business associations to help compile the Law on Vocational Training in a more effective and complete way. Also, VCCI will make recommendations to the Government and cooperate with Molisa to draft the Law on Vocational Training, aiming to provide more support for businesses.

 

Mr Vo Quang Hue, CEO of Bosch Vietnam, said the Government needs to facilitate businesses to join in workmanship training and human resource development in order to reduce expenses for enterprises in this area.

 

Ms Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, Director of the Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs, said Vietnam’s vocational training system is showing signs of weakening in comparison with the real manpower demand of the economy. Although the Government has adopted many policies in support and promotion of vocational education and training in the past time, the quality of the domestic labour force is slowly improving. She recommended that, to improve working skills and technical expertise for employees, the most important things are to increase employability and generate jobs with stable pay for labourers. Additionally, focused workmanship development for labourers is also a factor to reduce inequality in the labour market.

 

In the long term, according to Ms Carmela I. Torres, Senior Specialist at ILO, the amended Law on Vocational Training needs to be rebuilt and renovated to improve training quality and level, based on the linkage of vocational training, curricula, training teachers and accreditation of vocational training institutions. She suggested, "Vietnam should soon specify regulations on vocational training institutions run by the State, the private sector and foreign sector.” Mr Gyorgy Sziraczki, Director of ILO Office in Vietnam, also emphasised that clearly defined regulations will help vocational training institutions to operate more easily and improve the skills of domestic workers. Improving the quality and suitability of vocational education and training to match businesses’ needs now and tomorrow is essential.