Vocational training needs to be closely aligned with real-world requirements.

(Baonghean) - In an interview with Baonghean Newspaper, Mr. Dang Cao Thang, Deputy Director of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, emphasized that for vocational training for rural laborers to be truly effective, it must be closely aligned with the demands of reality.

Carpentry contributes to job creation and increases income for rural workers. Photo: Thanh Le

PV:In recent times, vocational training for rural laborers in Nghe An has achieved some initial results, but it has also faced many difficulties. Could you elaborate on this issue?

Comrade Dang Cao Thang:During the period 2012-2016, the entire province organized vocational training for 404,562 people. Of these, 41,654 rural laborers received vocational training support under Decision No. 1956/QD-TT of the Prime Minister on vocational training for rural laborers. Notably, after completing the training, 74.1% of rural laborers found new jobs or continued in their old jobs but with higher productivity and income.

Although the quality of training is considered quite good, shortcomings exist in both the occupational structure and the number of trainees, which do not closely match the actual needs of the locality. This leads to a situation where there is a shortage in some areas and a surplus in others. Many trained workers still struggle to find stable employment. Furthermore, many occupations only maintain their employment for a short time before workers easily lose their jobs or have to switch professions due to market fluctuations. For example, according to our survey, in Phuc Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district), out of 6,000 people of working age, only over 10% have stable jobs in traditional craft villages. The rest have to work independently or seek work elsewhere.

Furthermore, vocational training facilities are lacking, inadequate, and outdated; funding for vocational training is limited; and the annual list of vocational training programs is often scattered. Vocational training in rural areas is primarily based on the labor force's need for training, rather than being linked to the socio-economic development strategies of local areas. In addition, the public's enthusiasm for vocational training is still lacking; and there are too few businesses operating in the area... Therefore, finding a sustainable direction for training at vocational institutions and localities remains a difficult challenge.

PV:At the recent national conference on vocational training for rural workers, the Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs questioned whether there was a situation of "registering for training without proper instruction," such as one commune having 600 workers registering for pig castration training, and another commune having only a few dozen registering for motorcycle repair training. Clearly, the gap between training and practice remains quite wide. Public opinion suggests that with the current methods of rural vocational training, it is difficult to talk about improving the quality of the workforce, if not outright wasteful.

Comrade Dang Cao Thang:We acknowledge that in the early stages of implementing the Vocational Training Program for Rural Workers, there was a phenomenon of mass, trend-driven vocational training; a "train whatever comes your way" approach without assessing whether it was truly suitable for the local situation or the ability of workers to find jobs that matched their skills.

Furthermore, there is a waste of infrastructure in vocational schools. Many classes in agriculture, such as crop cultivation, plant protection, and animal husbandry and veterinary medicine, have to be taught in borrowed halls in villages or in people's homes because people are reluctant to go to the center to study agriculture due to the distance. Therefore, classes have to be opened right in the villages so that people will learn, while vocational facilities that received significant investment are not being utilized effectively.

The government's policy during the 2016-2020 period was to refrain from organizing vocational training for rural workers until the job placement and income levels after training could be predicted. This was a sound policy to end the previous trend of pursuing vocational training based on quantity rather than substance; it aimed to change people's perceptions, shifting from participating in vocational training with the goal of poverty alleviation to acquiring science and skills to improve their lives and income.

Incense making craft. Photo: Thanh Le

PV:Statistics show that vocational training currently only attracts 25% of young workers aged 18-35 in rural areas. This indicates that rural workers are not very enthusiastic about vocational training. Could you explain the reasons for this?

Comrade Dang Cao Thang:The reason why young people in rural areas participate less in vocational training courses is that a significant portion of them attend formal training programs at the intermediate and college levels. Each year, 70-80% of the enrollments at these schools are from rural areas. Another reason is that many young people go to work in industrial zones and export processing zones without prior training, or they work in other localities. Many do not see vocational training as necessary for establishing themselves and their careers, lack confidence in the quality of vocational training, and do not have sufficient information about the government's policies on vocational training, thus making them less enthusiastic about participating in vocational training programs.

PV:So, in your opinion, what solutions and policies are needed to change the perception of rural workers regarding vocational training?

Comrade Dang Cao Thang:Vocational training for rural workers is a major policy of the Party and the State, and it receives the attention and support of farmers. This is a difficult task to implement, requiring the coordinated and decisive involvement of relevant sectors and localities.

In my opinion, there are several issues here that require clear assignment and delegation of responsibilities. We need vocational training plans that closely align with actual needs, especially in surveying vocational training needs, compiling a list of training fields, and establishing reasonable training cost standards for each field, ensuring that the trained professionals meet quality requirements.

Furthermore, it is necessary to strengthen propaganda and counseling efforts to help rural workers clearly identify which vocational training programs are truly suitable, effective, and aligned with the socio-economic development requirements of the locality, as well as the employment needs of the workers. On the other hand, it is necessary to strengthen inspection and supervision activities and promote post-training support policies for rural workers.

During the period 2016-2020, vocational training for rural workers was included as a component of the National Target Program for Building New Rural Areas, with the goal of training 5.5 million rural workers. After training, at least 80% of trainees will find new jobs or continue in their old jobs with higher productivity and income. This requires a sustainable strategy and direction to help people understand the value of vocational training and employment. And, if this is achieved, the province's target of having 50-70% of rural workers trained by 2020 will not be difficult to reach.

PV:Thank you for the conversation!

Thanh Le

(Perform)