Uniting Businesses to Enhance Vocational Training and Employment

The labor, invalids, and social affairs sector of Tuyen Quang province has recently implemented a range of measures to enhance the impact of training and employment, align labor supply with demand, and contribute to the development of human resources for socioeconomic progress. In an exclusive interview with Vietnam Business Forum, Mr. Hoang Quoc Cuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Tuyen Quang province, provides insights into these initiatives.

Career counseling at Tuyen Quang Employment Service Center

How was the network of vocational education institutions in Tuyen Quang province planned and arranged to meet the demand for vocational training?

Vocational education in the province is overseen by the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People’s Council, and the Provincial People’s Committee. The system has produced many important results, including raising social awareness of vocational education and increasing the rate of vocationally trained workers with certified degrees and the rate of workers employed appropriately in light of their vocational skills and training level over time.

Currently, the province has 11 vocational education facilities, including a college, an intermediate vocational school, eight vocational education centers, and a joint vocational education center with 55 training occupations at three levels of qualifications (college, intermediate, and elementary). Among them, five key professions are Agriculture-Forestry-Fishery-Animal Husbandry, Industry-Construction, Trade, Services, and Tourism. Vocational schools have a total designed enrolment capacity of 12,500 learners, including 275 learners at the college level, 770 learners at the intermediate level, and 11,455 learners at the elementary level.

After being reshuffled, two vocational education facilities are private and nine are public. The autonomous mechanism of the vocational education system has proven effective. Facilities are gradually consolidated to ensure vocational education matches the designed capacity. Teachers and administrators are growing in quantity and quality. Training programs and methodologies closely follow the framework program of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs. The quality of trainees meets local socioeconomic development requirements and labor market needs.

What is your opinion on the association between vocational training and job creation, as well as business participation in this process?

Vocational education has played a significant role in the province’s socioeconomic development, industrialization and modernization. Vocational schools have actively collaborated with businesses to develop and evaluate training programs and provide employment opportunities to students after graduation. For instance, Woodsland Tuyen Quang Joint Stock Company partnered with Tuyen Quang Engineering-Technology Vocational College, vocational education, and continuing education centers of Chiem Hoa and Yen Son districts to train and employ 340 workers for its factory.

Tuyen Quang Engineering-Technology Vocational College is dedicated to collaborative training and employment initiatives. The institution has successfully secured numerous vocational training contracts extending until 2025. Notable partnerships include engagements with esteemed companies such as Dentsu Kensetsu Vietnam Co., Ltd, a wholly Japanese-owned firm, commissioning Industrial Electricity training for an annual cohort of 70 students. Additionally, H-Vncareer Joint Stock Company collaborates with the college, facilitating training and awarding final-year scholarships to 200 students annually. The college has formalized a cooperation agreement with Koguryeo College in South Korea. This collaboration focuses on training and employment prospects within South Korea. Students enrolled under this agreement undergo a comprehensive program, including a semester of study at Tuyen Quang Engineering-Technology Vocational College, where they acquire proficiency in Korean. Subsequently, they transition to Koguryeo College, South Korea. Upon graduation, students are granted a one-year period to reside and work in South Korea, facilitated by a job search visa (D10 visa). Additionally, Tuyen Quang Engineering-Technology Vocational College actively engages in tailored training programs with local businesses. A noteworthy 90.2% of graduates find gainful employment within local companies, with 65.56% securing positions aligned with their training at the college. Remuneration for these positions ranges from VND7-15 million per month.

In the future, it is necessary to encourage local businesses to focus on regular training and retraining for current workers, create opportunities, and encourage employees to adopt lifelong learning.

What solutions will the labor, invalids and social affairs sector adopt to further support businesses and investors and improve the “Labor Training” index in the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI)?

In 2022, Tuyen Quang province’s Labor Training index ranked 20th out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide. However, some component indicators such as Vocational Education and the Quality of Universal Education still ranked low at 56th and 53rd, respectively. To further improve the “Labor Training” index in the PCI Index, the labor, invalids and social affairs sector will continue to closely adhere to the following solutions:

Actively advise and focus on investing in building, upgrading, and perfecting facilities, and upgrading training equipment of vocational schools; Constantly improve professional qualifications and professional skills of teachers; Reform training programs linked to market needs.

Vocational schools should actively reform methods, and improve training quality and effectiveness to attract learners and workers to adopt vocational training; Actively learn, exchange information, cooperate, and connect with businesses in labor training.

Grasp, evaluate, and analyze training majors and occupations that businesses need to recruit workers, thus direct vocational schools to develop vocational training programs that meet labor market requirements.

Continue to direct and coordinate tripartite cooperation between vocational schools, businesses and workers to launch employment-linked vocational training.

Effectively deploy the current State vocational training support policy to focus on attracting and supporting vocational training for workers.

Thank you very much!

By Tran Cong, Vietnam Business Forum