Deputy PM urges radical changes in vocational training

Vocational training needs radical and substantive changes, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said at a conference held by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) in Ho Chi Minh City on January 16.

To improve the quality of vocational training, educational establishments must have comprehensive autonomy in finance, personnel and curriculum, he said, adding that autonomy will give them momentum to better training quality and the teaching staff’s capacity to attract students.

Educational establishments and businesses must also have close and substantive coordination. They should build workshops at schools and classes at companies to help students practise what they have learnt, he added.

At the conference, participants said many schools have struggled to attract students or maintain operations as many trainees have been unable to find suitable jobs after graduating. Meanwhile, it takes much time and money for schools to improve their training.

MoLISA Minister Dao Ngoc Dung said vocational schools must improve the quality of their training and ensure employment for trainees first so as to attract learners. If they fail, they will have to merge with others or shut down.

Sharing the same view, Nguyen Thi Hang, Rector of HCM City Vocational College of Technology No. 2, said manpower must meet the demands of export-orientated manufacturing in the context of Vietnam’s international integration.

Relevant agencies should expeditiously design standards on vocational training that are in line with regional and international ones. It’s time to set up independent agencies for vocational training examination, she noted.

NDO