Director General of the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training Mr. Truong Anh Dung informed the launch of the ASEAN Technical and Vocational Education and Training Council and functions and duties of the Council at the press conference introducing “ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Human resource development for the changing world of work ”held online from 15-16^th September.

-Reporter: At the opening session of the ASEAN Labor Ministers and Education Ministers' Summit on Human Resource Development for the changing world of work on September 16, the ASEAN Technical and Vocational Education and Training Council will official be launched. Where did the idea to set up the Council come from, sir?

+ Mr. Truong Anh Dung: ASEAN countries recognize that the digital transformation and the industrial revolution 4.0 are posing opportunities and challenges related to economic development, employment development and education and training. Vocational education and training. To adapt to this, ASEAN members have agreed to develop a human resource development program for the changing world of work. The program has many contents, of which important content is vocational education and training.

Previously, in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations raised the issue of people-centered sustainable development, including vocational education and training. Of which, special importance is placed to vocational education and training because of it’s 5 core values ​​contributing to sustainable development. These include: creating job opportunities, increasing labor productivity, improving income, increasing competitiveness of businesses and countries and ensuring sustainable job security.

However, in addition to the contributions of vocational education and training to the development of human resources for the changing world of work, there are certain limitations such as the integration of free movement of skilled labor in ASEAN countries, coordination of human development cooperation programs. Besides, the development of vocational education and training in ASEAN region also presents certain challenges because each country has a different body to manage this field.

Therefore, in the Declaration of the 36th ASEAN Summit on Human Resource Development for the changing world of work set out the establishment of the ASEAN Technical and Vocational Education and training Council.

–PV: In the context of the changing world of work, what key tasks will the Council focus on to help solve the posed challenges as mentioned avobe?

+ Mr. Truong Anh Dung: the ASEAN Technical and Vocational Education and training Council will focus on implementing the following 6 major tasks:

First, to make evidence-based policy recommendations to improve the vocational education and training system. The focus is placed on quality assurance, standards development, development of teacher and breakthrough technologies in ASEAN's vocational education and training development;

Second, to strengthen cooperation with businesses and industries to improve the quality of vocational education and training and adaptability to changing labor market requirements;

Third, to support programs to bridge the vocational skills supply-demand gap in ASEAN region basing on improving the labor market information system, exploiting this system for the development of vocational education and training.

Fourth, to improve opportunities to access vocational education and training, especially to improve digital skills to meet the requirements of the new labor market of the industrial revolution 4.0 for disadvantaged groups like women, people with disabilities, the elderly people, people living in rural areas, ethnic minorities ...

Fifth, to support for senior education and labor officials in identifying, promoting, and monitoring and promoting programs related to human resource development in general and vocational education and training development in particular.

Sixth, to identify ASEAN's comprehensive response to new issues, especially challenges affecting employment and employment future, through consultation with relevant agencies and organizations.

–Reportters: Which priorities will the ASEAN Technical Vocational Education and Training Council focus on to implement the above-mentioned tasks?

+ Mr. Truong Anh Dung: During this term, the Council will focus on 4 following priorities.

The first priority is to develop a workforce to meet market requirements through a labor market information system, labor market and future skills forecasts. This is the number 1 priority and also a difficult and challenging task for ASEAN coutries.

We can see that the skills of workers are changing dramatically in the context of the rapidly changing world of work. Part of the workforce is currently lacking skills, on the other hand, a part of the labor force is skill-surplus.

According to a recent report, in Vietnam, rate of workforce with postgraduate degrees  taking jobs with lower-level qualification is rapidly increasing. In 2015, this rate is only 15%, but now it has reached up to 25%. Ther e is also this status among ASEAN countries.

In addition, the labor force needs to add new skills set by the industrial revolution 4.0, the advances of the scientific and technical revolution in production. The establishment of the ASEAN Technical Vocational Education and Training Council must fulfill the above priorities as well as solve the above difficulties and challenges.

Second priority is the study of transformation to develop the vocational education and training system to adapt to the changing world of work. For example in Vietnam, How it will be if we change vocational education and training system which based on the vocational education and training institutions’ development in to a more effective one? While Singapore, for example, it now develops a vocational education ad training system based on the orientation of the labor market, of the work world.

The third priority is to recreate the image of vocational education and training. With the 5 above mentioned core values ​​of vocational education and training, we must focus on recreating the image, the role and values ​​of vocational education and training, attracting participation, promoting this field.

The fourth priority is to give priority to enhancing the capacity of teachers and administrators in vocational education and training and attracting businesses to participate in training. At the 2019 ASEAN Ministers Meeting, a declaration on the qualifications of in-house trainers was adopted. How do we associate with businesses, how do businesses participate in training?

In Vietnam, with the support of Germany's Reform of Technical and Vocational Education and Training, we have agreed to adopt a set of standards and training programs for corporate teachers, as expected from now to end of September 2020, this set of standards will be issued, along with an implementation plan.

Along with that, we will organize cooperation programs for vocational education and policy dialogues related to the development of vocational education and training to share good lessons in governance, vocational education management, finance for vocational education and training.