In the last three years, the labor training index of Thai Binh province reached 6.47 points (2017), 6.87 points (2018) and 6.68 points (2019), higher than the average of its overall Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI). This success results from Thai Binh province’s various solutions to improve human resource quality to better meet labor needs of local enterprises. Mr. Phi Ngoc Thanh, Deputy Director of the Thai Binh Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, grants an exclusive interview to Vietnam Business Forum on this issue.
How much has Thai Binh province focused on developing human resources and particularly supported enterprises to employ local human resources?
The Resolution of the 19th Thai Binh Provincial Party Congress (2015-2020 tenure) stated that developing quality human resources is one of three breakthroughs to promote economic development in 2016-2020. On that basis, the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs advised the Provincial People’s Committee to issue many important guidelines and policies on human resource development. Notably in 2018, the Provincial People’s Committee issued Decision 1671/QD-UBND dated July 10, 2018 to approve the human resource development project in Thai Binh province to 2025, with a vision to 2030. It also promulgated Decision 675/QD-UBND dated March 13, 2019 to approve the project on improving the quality of vocational education institutions to meet local socioeconomic development and international integration requirements to 2025.
The department consulted the provincial government to direct local authorities and agencies, sectors, business associations and vocational education institutions to integrate vocational education with employment demands of local enterprises. The department also directed vocational education institutions to establish units specialized to advise students and trainees on enrollment and career, form an enrollment network of intermediate schools and colleges and expand cooperation with external schools to provide vocational training for workers.
Over the years, Thai Binh has focused investment resources on improving the capacity and performance of the Employment Service Center, employment exchange floors and facilitated employers and employees to meet each other. What are the results of the Thai Binh Human Resources Project to 2025, with a vision to 2030, after one year of implementation?
As an advisor and an authority of human resources, the department actively developed Action Plan 25/KH-SLDTBXH dated February 26, 2019, which focused on strengthening communications on the position, role and importance of vocational education to workers and stated labor demand across sectors in the province for training.
While rearranging the network, industry structure, qualifications, improving training quality, the province seriously invested in public vocational schools, completed, consolidated and developed vocational education and continuing education centers; and strengthened vocational training by diversifying training types to effectively utilize the existing capacity of vocational education centers.
The province also entitled financing power to vocational schools. According to an approved roadmap to 2025, all public vocational schools will operate and invest with their own funds. They will adopt effective cooperation mechanisms with employers.
In particular, Thai Binh focused on training workers with professional and technical qualifications in hi-tech agriculture, mechanical engineering, electronics, energy, agricultural processing, supporting industries and some sectors that the province is strong at to meet local employment demands.
The Department also advised the Provincial People’s Committee to report to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs on the merger of Thai Binh Construction Intermediate School and Kien Xuong Handicraft Vocational Intermediate School into Thai Binh Vocational College. In the province, eight Intermediate schools and colleges in the province were approved by MOLISA for training key industries and professions (1 occupation at international level, one occupation at ASEAN level and 20 occupations at national level) and five public vocational and continuing education centers, administered by district governments, were funded by the ministry for buying training equipment.
What do you think about the growth of the labor index of the province in recent years? What solutions will the province adopt to increase the index in the coming years?
The labor training index of Thai Binh province increased significantly in the last three years but still stood below the target. In order to raise the score and standing in the ranking table, the department will continue to advise and carry out the following solutions: Communicating on rights, responsibilities and support policies for trainees as well as responsibilities of the Party and government at all levels to vocational education development; reviewing and reorganizing public vocational schools; facilitating public vocational schools to run on their income.
In addition, Thai Binh province actively surveyed and formulated a very practical training plan that matched the needs of trainees and enterprises (occupations, headcount and qualifications); focused on enrollment and training at tertiary and secondary levels to meet companies’ demands for skilled workers; enrolled more graduates from high schools and pre-graduates from high schools; and shaped effective cooperation and coordination between schools and enterprises. The province effectively applied incentive policies to engage enterprises to join vocational education. Thai Binh will regularly review and assess the status of the higher education institution system to have the most optimal arrangement for best performance.
In response to the Construction Master Plan for Thai Binh Economic Zone to 2040, with a vision to 2050, what solutions will the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs advise and take to help businesses and investors easily recruit workers?
While accelerating solutions for a higher quality of local human resources, the department will work closely with the Thai Binh Economic and Industrial Zones Authority, the People's Committees of Tien Hai and Thai Thuy districts to figure out each enterprise’s demand for occupations, qualifications and employees to guide schools to have best training options.
The department also facilitates external vocational schools to cooperate with local partners or enterprises to provide occupations that the latter has not been able to train.
In addition to effectively carrying out the province’s employment program, creating jobs for workers, especially rural workers inside the economic zone, the department has encouraged headhunter, manpower supply and export organizations to expand existing markets and seek new potential ones.
Last but not least, the department will upgrade the job - employment information system and boost the performance of job exchange floors to provide the most accurate and updated labor market information.
Source: Vietnam Business Forum
Vietnamese
October 2024
Hanoi