Vocational training for rural workers linked to the market

(Baonghean) - Implementing Decision 1956/QD.TTg of the Prime Minister, from 2011 to present, the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center has coordinated with localities to organize vocational training for more than 4,500 rural workers. Thanks to that, farmers in some localities have developed their profession, increased their income, and contributed to improving their lives.

Increase skills and experience

In Nam Loc Commune (Nam Dan), farmers used to raise beef cattle on a small, spontaneous basis, mainly using agricultural by-products, so the economic efficiency was low. However, since 2013, after attending a livestock class organized by the District Agricultural Extension Station in coordination with the commune, the number of households raising cattle on a large scale has increased to 30. Mrs. Dau Thi Ha's family (village 4) used to only raise beef cattle, but after receiving vocational training, she expanded her breeding cattle.

Ms. Ha said: “We learned techniques for animal care and disease prevention, so we know how to mix and ferment feed to help cows gain weight faster... Thanks to that, the efficiency of raising cattle is higher; every year my family sells two batches of beef cattle and calves, earning 20-30 million VND/year.”

After attending livestock training courses, many households in Nam Thanh commune (Nam Dan) have boldly invested in developing large-scale livestock farm models. Up to now, the whole commune has about 139 comprehensive livestock farms with high income. Many households have techniques for raising pigs and sows, limiting investment costs, preventing diseases; increasing income, and at the same time providing piglets for local people. In Dong Linh and Nam Son hamlets, Hung Tien commune, after learning about mushroom growing, 20 households have established two groups of households to produce mushrooms... This profession not only takes advantage of available straw materials but also brings in a fairly stable source of income; each year, two mushroom growing groups earn about 36 million VND.

The Provincial Agricultural Extension Center transfers straw mushroom growing techniques to farmers in Phuc Thanh (Yen Thanh).

From 2011 to now, Nam Dan Agricultural Extension Station has organized 11 vocational training courses for more than 300 rural workers in Nam Thanh, Hung Tien communes, Nam Hung town, Nam Tan, Nam Loc; with the following occupations: safe vegetable production, cattle breeding, chicken breeding, pig breeding and mushroom growing. Discussing the effectiveness of the vocational training program for rural workers, Ms. Hoang Thi Anh - Head of the District Agricultural Extension Station said: After the vocational training courses, farmers have known how to apply the knowledge they have learned to prevent and treat common diseases in chickens and pigs, without having to rely on the commune's veterinary staff. They know how to mix feed for livestock and poultry according to each age, know how to choose breeds and artificial insemination for pigs and cows; understand the techniques of safe vegetable production. In addition, some students have been hired as workers at farms in the area.

In Yen Thanh, mushroom growing used to be a tradition in some communes of Son Thanh, Nam Thanh, Long Thanh. After the district opened vocational training classes for farmers, people gained more experience in mushroom production in the area. Up to now, mushroom growing has been newly developed in some communes such as Xuan Thanh, Phuc Thanh, Hau Thanh...; each commune has 10-15 households growing mushrooms. Mr. Dang Ngoc Thu - Head of Yen Thanh District Agricultural Extension Station said: In the past time, the district has organized more than 17 vocational training classes on safe vegetable growing, mushrooms, pig raising... After learning the profession, farmers have gained more knowledge, especially knowing how to create clean vegetable products that compete in the market. After the courses, many farmers have created jobs for themselves.

After 5 years of implementing the Government's Decision 1956 on vocational training for rural workers, the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center has coordinated with localities to organize 159 classes with 4,972 students participating in 11 production occupations. In addition to vocational training classes, the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center has proactively coordinated with research units and companies to build models, hold seminars and training courses to transfer new scientific and technical advances to farmers. Thanks to that, farmers have gradually changed their small-scale production habits and shifted to investing in developing large-scale production models. Many households know how to apply technical advances to increase crop and livestock productivity to improve their lives.

Market-oriented

Although vocational training courses have provided farmers with production knowledge and livestock production techniques to improve productivity and income, according to Mr. Cao Xuan Tuan - Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, the current difficulty is that agricultural vocational training for rural workers has not received due attention from authorities at all levels, especially in leadership, direction, propaganda, planning, and vocational training orientation in accordance with the production situation and economic conditions of the locality. There are no specific policies to facilitate support for learners before and after vocational training. In particular, there has not been effective attention and participation from businesses, companies, factories... in supporting training, attracting workers and consuming output products for people after vocational training.

Many vocational training courses have provided farmers with production knowledge and applications to improve productivity and income.

In fact, the farmer trainees who attend vocational training classes are mainly from poor households, so they lack investment capital to develop their profession. For example, in Quy Hop district, the mountainous area is favorable for developing commodity livestock farming. After the district organized 8 classes to teach pig and chicken farming to people in some remote communes, they implemented the model quite effectively. However, to apply knowledge into production on a large scale, in the direction of commodities, the mountainous farmers still face many difficulties. According to Mr. Phan Thanh Tam - Head of the Agricultural Extension Station of Quy Hop district, not only do they lack capital to invest in livestock farming and production, the output of their products is also unstable.

Vocational training for rural workers is a direction that is suitable for the needs of farmers and the direction of rural economic development. However, to improve the effectiveness of training, vocational training must come from the needs of farmers and the needs of the market. It is necessary to combine agricultural extension programs, projects, and models with vocational training to improve knowledge and train skills for learners. Industries and localities need to proactively cooperate with businesses to support training, labor use, and product consumption. In addition, the state needs to have a policy mechanism to support production development for farmers after vocational training, helping them to have conditions to apply scientific and technical advances to economic development.

Dinh Nguyet