For Vietnam, with the trend of automation, electronicization, digitalization, the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) and international integration, there is a requirement to develop skilled human resource, especially highly skilled labors to take advantage of golden population opportunities, improving labor productivity and national competitiveness; it is necessary to have a comprehensive strategy to develop vocational education and training (VET) in the coming period. That is confirmed by Mr. TRUONG ANH DUNG, Director General of the General Directorate of Vocational Education and Training.

 Clearly define strategic goals

- What is your point of view for the development of VET in the 2021 - 2030 period?

- On global scale, the UN's 2030 sustainable development target has identified human development, education and training as the center to develop, with the focus on vocational skills development and VET. To achieve the millennium goal.

UNESCO also has its own strategy on VET; a group of G20 countries, OECD and many developed countries have recently focused on the development of VET strategy, skills strategy.

For Vietnam, based on the undertakings, lines and policies of the national socio-economic development, the current situation of Vietnam's human resources and especially the draft document of the 13th National Party Congress, we have given 5 perspectives on VET development.

Firstly, VET development must be considered as one of the most important tasks, contributing to improve the quality of human resources, increasing labor productivity and national competitiveness in the new situation. Why ?. It is because there is a common fact in the world that VET or skills development is an important part of economic pillar; in fact, this is not merely a matter of education to equip knowledge, skills and professional attitudes, but to contribute to improving labor productivity and national competitiveness, boosting GDP growth; Directive No. 24 dated May 28^th, 2020 of the Prime Minister has clearly shown this. In addition, for Vietnam, it is also a matter of politics, class (enhance the level and position of the class of workers and Vietnamese working people in the new period).

Secondly, the renovation and improvement of VET quality should focus on the scale, structure and quality of training, following the fundamental reform of education and training; inherit and promote the achievements, selectively apply international experience that is suitable to Vietnam's socio-economic conditions, ensure the stability of the system but need a long-term vision.

Third, develop VET system in the direction of open, diversified, flexible, modern, quality, efficient, accessible and fair, with many training modes and levels.

Fourth, vocational training must fulfill the need of businesses, there is a close connection between VET institutions and enterprises. Labor market acceptance is a measure of the effectiveness of VET; improve the quality of VET step by step to reach regional and international quality standards, to meet the demand for domestic human resources and integrate with the regional and world labor market as well as to adapt to Industry 4.0. Implementing digital transformation, applying IT more effectively in management, administration and training organization.

Fifth, VET is a basic and essential public service that is prioritized in the total state budget expenditure on education and training. State budget focuses on investment in high-quality schools, specialized VET institutions in extremely difficult regions, ethnic minority areas, borders, islands, remote areas, special industries and occupations and disadvantaged groups.

- Could you tell us more about the goals and plans for the development of VET until 2025 and 2030?

- The general goal is to develop the VET system in the direction of open, flexible, quality, efficient, accessible, fair and sustainable. Create strong changes in the size, quality and efficiency of vocational education. Strive to reach the level of top four ASEAN countries by 2030, with a number of specific strategic objectives as follows:

In terms of enrollment size, strive to double the current size of enrollment by 2025, triple the current growth rate by 2030 with appropriate industry structure, occupations and training level, not only for the current labor market and in the short term, which needs to focus on preparing for the next 5-10 years, even longer. The quality and effectiveness of training must be improved, striving for at least 90% of learners, after graduation, to have jobs in the right occupation, training level, or to work with higher productivity and income after training.

Regarding the network, to develop the system of VET institutions in an open and flexible direction, standardize, modernize, and quality stratification. The State focuses on investing in a number of high-quality VET institutions and VET institutions for specific groups of people. Strive to 2025, about 70 schools will be assessed and recognized as high-quality colleges, of which 3 schools reach the level of developed countries in the G20 group, 40 schools reach the level of top four ASEAN countries. By 2030, about 100 schools will be accredited, assessed and recognized to meet the criteria of high-quality schools, of which 15 schools will reach the level of developed countries in the G20 group; 50 schools approaching the level of top 4 ASEAN countries. VET of Vietnam reaches the advanced level in the ASEAN region.

Institutional improvement must be one step ahead

- In the context of our country with many difficulties and challenges in both economic terms, population aging and international integration, is there any difficulty in setting goals as in the strategy?

- Objectives as proposed by the Draft are appropriate to the current international and domestic context and aim to meet future requirements. The need for skilled labor, especially high-skilled workers to serve economic development in the context of deep integration, we must prepare for the wave of investment shifting from "eagles". At the same time, training and retraining are indispensable trends for employees to adapt to the Industry 4.0 - which has been clearly revealed through the Covid - 19 pandemic. Importantly, our population is now in a golden age, so I think this is a good opportunity for the development of VET to be able to increase the training scale as the target set.

- In your opinion, what is the most crucial solution to develop VET, to meet social requirements and successfully implement the goals as set out in the strategy?

- The draft also gave many groups of solutions: Focusing on improving the quality of institutions, reforming mechanisms and policies for the development of VET; Modernize and renew training forms and methods; Strengthening capacity in state management and school governance; Strengthening the linkage of VET with the sustainable labor market and employment; Strengthening quality control and assurance conditions; Carry out digital transfer, apply information technology to management and training activities; Strengthening resources and improving the efficiency of state budget investment in VET; Communication, scientific research and international cooperation.

In which I think that, in order to implement the following solutions, the improvement of institutions and policies must be one step ahead, along with prioritizing investment in VET, this is the most important solution. Accordingly, it is necessary to supplement and complete policies for subjects participating in VET including learners, teachers, and VET institutions and especially mobilize a large number of enterprises to participate in VET; building training models suitable to our country's context, forming a model of shared education to improve investment efficiency. At the same time, it is necessary to implement the State's policy on the development of VET in Article 6 of the Law on VET: “Investment in VET is given priority in the plan of socio-economic development, human development. The budget for VET is given priority in the total state budget expenditure on education and training” to create a breakthrough in the size and quality of VET.

In addition, in the era of Industry 4.0, there is certainly an indispensable implementation of digital transformation, application of information technology in management and training activities. Therefore, VET must develop training programs for digital transformation for the contingent of state cadres, managers of the VET institutions and train the human resources working in the digital transformation of the economy.

Mr. Dong Van Ngoc, Principal of Hanoi Mechanical and Electrical College:

Focusing on developing vocational teachers

After 10 years of implementing the project "Vocational training for rural workers up to 2020" according to Decision No. 1956/QD-TTg, a new modern countryside with a rural labor force is basically trained, job change; having knowledge and vocational skills, etc. has been formed.

Vocational training classes for rural workers are opened at factories, construction sites, farms, craft villages, etc. Most of the people are trained according to their own needs and the labor market. The teaching staff is not only teachers in vocational training institutions but also has the participation of artisans, skilled professionals, with many direct experience in vocational training for rural workers. Therefore, many people, after their apprenticeship, have started their career or successfully changed their jobs. Rural workers know how to apply and promote their knowledge and skills in their daily work, creating higher productivity, quality, and economic efficiency, etc. The vocational teachers, technicians, artisans and experts play a key role in this success.

It can be seen that the scheme on vocational training for rural workers has created a breakthrough and a fundamental change in the approach of rural people. The project has completed its mission in the period 2009 - 2020. However, Vietnam is on the way of development, with many opportunities and challenges, the Project on vocational training for rural workers needs to continue with the new mission, the mission of modernizing and industrializing the country. Facing this requirement, VET teachers needs to be developed and fostered to meet the requirements of VET for rural workers in the new context. They must be specialized, decentralized specifically, associated with diversifying training types, diversifying training levels to suit the movement of rural workers to other employment areas and labor export. Especially, in the context of deep integration, VET for rural workers should pay attention to approach high quality, possibly to the international level. Especially, before the complicated situations of the US-China trade war, the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, the issue of quality of teachers participating in vocational training for rural workers should be considered as a pivotal element.

Participating in this field, over the past years, Hanoi Mechanical and Electrical College (under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) has trained teaching skills for 990 officials and specialists of the National Agricultural Extension Center; 150 officers of Hanoi Agricultural Extension Center; 80 officers of Hai Phong Agricultural Extension Center, etc. And, there is a good practice to train the teachers participating in vocational training for rural workers by experienced trainers.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Hang, Principal of College of Engineering II (Ho Chi Minh City):

Self-control, self-responsibility and self-accountability are inevitable trends

I suppose that, in order to improve the quality of training and fulfill the needs of labor market in the context of regional and international integration, VET institutions need to renew their mindset in the organization and management towards self-control, self-responsibility and self-accountability.

From the practice of piloting autonomy in the past 5 years and the current situation of VET, I think, to renew mindset in the organization, management towards autonomy, self-responsibility and self-help. The VET system needs to synchronously implement the following 6 solutions:

First, strengthening communication on autonomy and accountability of VET institutions. Autonomy and accountability of VET institutions will create new opportunities in training, scientific research and technology transfer: training according to the orders of the state; of the business; to be approved for investment projects under the contracting mechanism; to be approved for investment according to the State's regulations and orders; working according to capacity and receiving remuneration based on labor efficiency; to encourage the application and transfer of scientific research results associated with the labor market and social needs. Therefore, the communication and the high consensus of the units are an important solution, which should be implemented seriously and concurrently.

Second, improve the institution of autonomy mechanism for VET institutions. Heads of schools are allowed to have autonomy in the organizational apparatus, personnel, expertise, finance and other activities of the unit according to regulations. In order to do this, state management agencies need to drastically delegate the authority to VET institutions in developing short, medium and long-term work plans; decide the annual targets and tasks; self-guarantee the conditions for service provision.

Third, to promulgate the training order mechanism for VET institutions to exercise autonomy. The ordering mechanism in which the governing body, state management is the backbone of the autonomous implementation of the VET institution. Moving from the allocation to the ordering mechanism to create fairness in VET institutions to exercise autonomy.

Fourth, renovate the organizational structure, internal management mechanism of VET institution. Establishing the School Council to represent the ownership of the school, deciding on the strategy and direction of the school's operations; supervise the implementation of the School Council's resolutions, the implementation of the democratic regulations in the school activities; publicizing the supervision regulations of teachers, officials, employees and learners for all activities of the school's leadership.

Fifth, implementing the orientation of the contents in accordance with autonomy and accountability of VET institutions. Quickly transform training model; Training must be associated with labor services; categorize the management team, staff and teachers to create training mechanisms; organization for units to learn newly issued documents related to students and training; continue to add the management team, teachers with high professional qualifications; bring business to school to conduct training.

Sixth, building a monitoring mechanism. In order to strengthen the autonomy and accountability of the VET institutions, the monitoring mechanism for all activities is both very important and also contributes to the success of the implementation of the autonomy mechanism.