Software Programmer Training - Focus should be Given to Specific Skills

Despite a short development period of five years, the Vietnamese software industry has witnessed rapid growth. Ho Chi Minh City alone boasts around 370 software enterprises, including one with over 500 programmers; four with between 300 and 500 programmers; and eight with between 100 and 300 programmers. The number of enterprises with less than 30 programmers is put at 320. For its further development, the local software industry needs high quality human resources. ViB Forum interviewed Dr Le Truong Tung, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Information Technology Association about the development of human resources for the industry.

 

A strong development of information technology can be seen via its conversion from a scientific and technological field into the economic and technical one, which can generate products and services, changing the world and adding value for other economic sectors, as well as meeting the social need. In many countries around the world, the software industry has already developed, making a significant contribution to their GDP. In Vietnam, the software industry has formed with high expectations. However, if it is considered as an economic sector, who will work in the sector? It is certain that not only scientists, but also managers and technical experts.  

In India, software experts account for 60 per cent of the labour force of software enterprises. In Singapore, where the software industry less develops, the number of experts stands at around 25 per cent, approximately equal to those who have diplomas. Software experts often have diplomas. From a point of view of training time, they are technicians. However, they have a higher quality as the industry requires much more complicated skills, in particular practical skills.

 

To help settle the urgent issue of training programmers for the software industry, many universities and enterprises have co-operated with foreign institutes and universities to provide a diploma-based information technology training programmes in Vietnam. The Aptech-FPT training network alone has 25 training centres nationwide. The training system of NITT and the Hoa Sen semi-private college has 20 centres. Let alone Informatic Singapore, KENT, Tata Infotech and Saigon Tech. After getting access to the training programmes, I have realised that programmers who have been presented with diplomas by the programmes are the driving force for the development of local software industry.

 

Meanwhile, the training system of Vietnam with technical schools cannot provide enough knowledge and skills needed by programmers. Bachelors of information technology have better knowledge and skills but their knowledge is mainly academic, not practical. Diploma-based training programmes will help settle these difficulties, providing a suitable labour force for the software industry.

 

A target of having around 25,000 programmers for the Ho Chi Minh City software industry in 2010 has been set. Among the total of 400 software enterprises, five enterprises will have more than 500 programmers and three others, at least 1,000 programmers. To that end, software enterprises will have to exert their efforts in combination with State support. To develop qualified human resources for the software industry, a high quality training system with training content suitable with recruitment requirements of enterprises is needed. Support should be given to training establishments and enterprises should be encouraged to promote their co-operation with training establishments and universities.

 

Aptech has developed a training programme for final-year information technology students, so as to help them supplement their knowledge and skills, thus reducing the gap between the information technology bachelor training programme and the need of enterprises. Also, those who have had diplomas in other fields can learn to become software programmers.

I would like to stress on the role of foreign languages, which are also tools for programmers to gain new technological knowledge and catch up with the rapid development of information technology around the world.