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Interview of People’s Public Security Newspaper with General Director Nguyen Hong Minh
9:27' 8/8/2016
(GDVT) - Innovation and improvement of vocational training quality; association of vocational training with the labor market, or in other ways enhancing the connection between vocational schools and enterprises is a positive direction for solving the supply - demand issue in the labor market. Reporter of the People's Public Security newspaper has recently had an interview with Dr. Nguyen Hong Minh, General Director of the General Department of Vocational Training (GDVT) about this content. Portal page of GDVT would like to publish an extraction of interview to the readers.


(GDVT) - Innovation and improvement of vocational training quality; association of vocational training with the labor market, or in other ways enhancing the connection between vocational schools and enterprises is a positive direction for solving the supply - demand issue in the labor market. Reporter of the People's Public Security newspaper has recently had an interview with Dr. Nguyen Hong Minh, General Director of the General Department of Vocational Training (GDVT) about this content. Portal page of GDVT would like to publish an extraction of interview to the readers.


                                                


                                 Dr. Nguyen Hong Minh


Reporter: Dear Sir, there still exist a problem that the current vocational training has not meet the labor market demand regarding workmanship, soft skills such as industrial style. This is the assessment given at a conference recently held by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. What are your opinions in this aspect?

Dr. Nguyen Hong Minh: It is true that overall vocational training has not met the requirements of enterprises particularly and the needs of labor market generally, especially regarding the soft skills and industrial style. Some reasons are raised, including the reason that for a long time, vocational schools only focused on vocational theory, while practice sessions are superficial and has not associated with enterprises in training process.

On the other hand, due to the design of curriculum, the schools have not paid proper attention to education of discipline and soft skills such as group-working skill, skill to work in a multicultural environment... such limitations are gradually being overcome.

Reporter: Many people said that vocational training in Vietnam mainly concentrates on theory with less practice. I wonder if it is one of the main reasons leading to the face that trained workers do not meet the needs of labor market?

Dr. Nguyen Hong Minh: During the training program, proper allocation of time between theory and practice in courses, modules of vocational secondary level is: Theory 15% -30%, practice 70-85% practice; vocational college level: Theory 25% -35%, practice 65-75%.

The above curriculum structure in which time spent on training is more, along with increased investment in vocational training facilities in term of number and quality, will facilitate to enhance practice for students/ learners. On the other hand, vocational training institutions strengthen their association with enterprises in training and put learners into practice to enhance skills.

Therefore, trained workers initially meet the needs of high quality labor market for industrial zones, processing zones, key economic sectors, FDI enterprises and laborers for labor export.

Reporter: Vocational training curriculum is rarely updated and supplemented as the development of science and technology, the association between enterprises and vocational training institutions is not tight ... Could you say more about shortcomings in vocational training in the present time?

Dr. Nguyen Hong Minh: The formulation of vocational training curriculum at secondary level, college level is based on results of vocation analysis, task analysis, with the participation of enterprises to ensure that content is matched with technology engineering, labor market. The framework program prescribes minimum actual study time for obligatory vocational training courses, modules of 70% - 80%; minimum actual study time for optional vocational training courses, modules of 20% - 30%; vocational training institutions actively develop, adjust, update and supplement as the development of science and technology.

However, in vocational training there are still some shortcomings, such as vocational teachers though trained, enhanced in term of vocational skill, still fail to meet requirements. Vocational training costs are high, while revenues from tuition and support from the state budget have not met the actual training, while enterprises have not paid adequate attention to investments, save funds for vocational training.

Reporter: How do you think assess the connection between supply and demand, between school and enterprise to provide the basis for output of current students from vocational schools?

Dr. Nguyen Hong Minh: Currently the relationship between vocational training institutions and enterprises has improved. However, in overall, this relationship is still loose, spontaneous, emotional rather than legal, responsibility nature. The vocational training institutions do not have adequate information from enterprises about specific needs in terms of quantity, sector structure, business skills needed for each job. Conversely, businesses do not have enough information about the training capacity of the school. Therefore, there's always the "difference" between training and employment demand of enterprises.

There exist a lot of reasons, generally grouped as follows: Firstly, labor market information system, connection between supply and demand of national labor is limited, even fragmented; Secondly, they fail to promote the role and legal regulations for enterprises to become one of participants in vocational training. Although the Law on Vocational Education and Training has provided 1 chapter regulating on responsibilities of enterprises, this provision has not put into real world practice.

Reporter: Some people say that trainees looking for work in this present just like "swimming on land". Besides, there still exists a paradox that many people are unemployed or lose their jobs, while many enterprises cannot recruit employees. What are your opinions regarding this matter?

Dr. Nguyen Hong Minh: In recent years, employment situation of students, learners after graduation has achieved positive results. Actually, students, learners studying technical professions should not say that it is difficult to do. I would like to give out some figures: in 2015 percentage of students, graduates at vocational college level and vocational secondary level employed after graduation is at 70.2%, while percentage of employed students from vocational colleges reaches 68.3%, from vocational secondary schools reaches 71.5%.

Among 45 schools selected to be invested to become high quality schools in 2020, the rate of employment after graduation of students, graduates at vocational college level and vocational secondary level is of 77%. Some occupations where the number of pupils and students who have the right job after graduating accounts for high percentage: pit mining engineering (98%), welding (91%), industrial electricity (88%), metal cutting (87%), automobile technology (83%), air conditioning and air conditioner engineering (81%)...

In many vocational colleges, enterprises come to receive graduates right at the time of holding graduation ceremony for students. Through vocational training assessment, the unemployment rate is low. To avoid the unemployment after graduation, it is a trend that high school students are enrolled to study at vocational schools.

Reporter: Dear sir, what are possible solutions to ensure that students are employed after graduation? The formulation of data systems to forecast supply - demand, especially labor market demand, to determine how to develop each training profession in the present context?

Dr. Nguyen Hong Minh: To ensure that students are employed after graduation, we have proposed several solutions, including the following key measures: Creating a breakthrough in quality of vocational training, focusing on investment in key professions at national level, ASEAN region and internationally to attract learners to engage in high-quality vocational training, to meet the high quality labor demand for dynamic economic zones, industrial zones, processing zones and international integration; Orienting to develop professions in line with labor demand of enterprises and labor markets; Directing vocational training institutions to establish business relation department to capture the needs of enterprises and job placement for workers after training; organizing vocational training as order of enterprises; inviting enterprises to participate in stages of training process, organizing job introduction festival to directly sign recruitment contract with students, graduates; Regarding development of supply – demand data system of the labor market, we believe that developing information and forecasting labor market are necessary requirement in order to meet the current labor supply – demand.

It is required to apply information technology to create a training demand forecast system; assure accurate and timely training demand forecast; clearly identify vocational training structure, training qualification structure by region to provide information for selection of appropriate vocations, assure employment after training. Besides, vocational training institutions need to actively collecting labor market information, especially information on labor demand of enterprises to provide appropriate training plan; associate with enterprises to improve vocational training quality, support workers after graduation to fully acquire necessary working skills to participate in the labor market.

Reporter: In the current integration context, particularly when the official formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in upcoming time, many people are worried that Vietnam laborers will not be able to compete with those of countries with high specialized skills. What are solutions given by GDVT to improve quality?

Dr. Nguyen Hong Minh: Joining AEC offers Vietnam laborers many opportunities but many challenges as well. The biggest challenge is the low quality of human resources. According to the General Statistics Office, proportion of trained workers (as qualifications, nominally) of Vietnam is only 20-22% of total workforce. That means nearly 80% of Vietnam’s laborers are untrained and of course, they just do the simple jobs, areas with low labor productivity.

On the other hand, among 20-22% of trained workers as stated, career skills, soft skills are still limited, especially language and industrial style, professionalism in work. With this status, when joining the AEC, skilled laborers of Vietnam have disadvantage, hardly to compete even in the domestic labor market.

To overcome this, Vietnam vocational training institutions should innovate and improve the training quality. Innovation should focus on training programs, in which enhances training of vocational knowledge and skills; including soft skills, labor safety and industrial style. It is required to innovate training methods and the way to assess learners. Especially there must be essential involvement of enterprises from development of curriculum, participation in training, organization of practice for students, evaluation of training results. On the other hand, it is necessary to strengthen vocational assessment skills in line with regional standards.

To focus on training human resources for integration, under Decision of the Government, 45 vocational schools were selected to focus investment to develop into high-quality schools by 2020; transferring curriculum of international level has been implemented; at this present, actively implement pilot training of 12 vocations transferred from Australia in 25 high quality schools of international standard; in which graduates will be awarded Australian vocational certificate. By strictly observing the above solutions, Vietnam trained laborers will definitely be able to compete with international laborers.

Reporter: Thank you!

By Phan Hoat - www.cand.com.vn


((GDVT) - Innovation and improvement of vocational training quality; association of vocational training with the labor market, or in other ways enhancing the connection between vocational schools and enterprises is a positive direction for solving the supply - demand issue in the labor market. Reporter of the People's Public Security newspaper has recently had an interview with Dr. Nguyen Hong Minh, General Director of the General Department of Vocational Training (GDVT) about this content. Portal page of GDVT would like to publish an extraction of interview to the readers.)
 

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