Vietnam Vocational Training Innovating Itself to Attract More Learners

Vietnam’s vocational training system is innovating itself to attract more learners, including methods of adapting to foreign standards and courses and recruiting more secondary school graduates, state media reported. Currently, the sector is facing three problems of (i) hesitation from learners, (ii) weak recruitment and quality assurance, and (iii) unstainable outcomes. Regarding foreign standards and courses, Vietnam currently has 25 schools reaching Australia’s standards in training of 12 jobs and 45 others reaching Germany’s standards in training of 22 jobs. Besides, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) has issued 600 standards for 300 intermediate-level and college-level jobs. About recruitment of secondary school graduates, the MoLISA is pushing the courses named “9+.” This course will lead secondary school graduates to vocational training, skip high school, join the labor market earlier, and still have opportunities to join higher education later. The MoLISA is improving the courses by drafting rules on high school contents within “9+” courses. Vietnam currently has 1,909 vocational training units, including 399 colleges, 458 intermediate-level schools, and 1,052 centers. Vietnam targets to have 40 high-quality schools in 2020 and then 70 ones in 2025, with quality reaching recognition from the ASEAN and the international community. (Bao Chinh Phu, Bao Chinh Phu)