(People’s Representative Newspaper)
Establishment of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by year end, recently completed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations open up opportunities to laborers to seek for job and freedom and free movement. For Vietnamese laborers to stand firm in international integration, according to Ass.Prof. DUONG DUC LAN, Director General of General Department of Vocational Training (Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs), it is necessary to train laborers with high skill and professional qualification, willing to assume critical positions...
Interviewer: How do you evaluate human resources of Vietnam in comparison with other countries in ASEAN region?
 Ass. Prof. Duong Duc Lan: Until the moment, there exist no study to clearly define ranking of Vietnam human resources quality among 10 ASEAN countries. However, from 2011 to present, we have participated in 8 ASEAN Vocational Skill Competitions, 5 World Vocational Skill Competitions. In 8 times taking part in regional competitions, Vietnam ranks the 1st for three times and the 2nd for three times; in 2014, Vietnam has won 15 Gold medals. At the World vocational skill competition took place in Brazil last August, it is the first time we achieve Bronze medal for Information Technology Software Solution...
Obviously, in terms of workmanship, Vietnam can be ranked the first in the region. However, base on that to assume Vietnam human resources taking the lead will be inaccurate, because number of candidates participating in the competitions does not represent entire workforce of Vietnam with 47% of laborers working in agricultural sector (untrained area or trained at elementary level, if any). This resulted in low productivity. Regarding overall labor quality, Vietnam is still inferior to many ASEAN countries, especially ASEAN-6 (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand).
"Low quality of Vietnam human resources come from many reasons: limited training quality, fail to meet requirements of human resources use; unsatisfactory labor market information system. Besides, readiness of knowledge, skill, attitude and psychological state to be ready for working in the ASEAN countries of Vietnam laborers is not high. For example, just little Vietnam laborers study English, let alone other languages of the Association. Therefore, adaptability to a new working environment will be extremely difficult. Labor discipline and labor intensity ... also affect quality of human resources and competitiveness in international integration".
ASS.PROF. DUONG DUC LAN
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Interviewer: AEC shall be established by year end, accordingly laborers in the Community are entitled free movement. How do we prepare for adaptability and competiveness of Vietnam laborers?
Ass.Prof. Duong Duc Lan: Right from the beginning of the 11th Congress, the Party and the State have directed education sector in general and vocational training in particular for readiness of high-quality human resources, with a breakthrough in vocational teaching and learning quality to firmly integrate. In 2012, Prime Minister approved a vocational training strategy for the 2011-2020 period, which followed by Decision No.371/QD-TTg in 2013 allowing transfer of training and retraining curriculum of vocational teachers and managerial officials; pilot vocational training for some key careers at ASEAN regional level, international level for the 2012 – 2015 period... Thanks for that, we have coordinated in training with many countries: Australia with 12 careers and in upcoming time, continue to transfer some critical careers with Germany, in striving to acquire 34 careers at international level by 2020. Together with this, 45/500 vocational secondary schools and colleges, vocational training curriculum and standardized textbook for certificate exam and evaluation, have been invested by local and foreign funds… to generate a workforce strong enough to compete in regional and international arena (TPP is expected to generate about 6 million jobs in the next 10 years, accounting for 9.5% of total employment generated in the ASEAN community). To prepare human resources at par with other countries in the ASEAN market, there is no other way but to train a team of skilled workers willing to take on key positions.
Currently, General Department of Vocational Training (GDVT) continues to focus on training high-quality human resources in dual training model between local and foreign companies and vocational schools, targeting to obtain 1,200 students trained in all 12 careers of Australia by 2018 with two diplomas: one from Vietnam and one in Australia. By 2020, it is expected that 3,000 laborers will be trained under such high-quality training programs.
Interviewer: Thank you!
(- One of the factors to ensure vocational training quality is the involvement of companies. Vocational Education Law has provisions on the coordination mechanism between companies and schools. In your opinion, how to actively involve companies in vocational training process?
- Currently, the coordination between schools and companies in vocational training is not close. Economic downturn gives significant impacts on businesses, which make them unable or not affordable to be involved in vocational training, but without a sense of the importance of this coordination, businesses can lose in local market. Vocational Education Law devotes one chapter to define rights and responsibilities of businesses in professional education activities. In the future, it is critical to communicate businesses so that they can realize the urgent requirements and their responsibilities for involving in training and fostering to enhance skill of workers and laborers, especially in increasingly fierce competition condition today.)
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