Innovation in vocational training

(Baonghean) - From 2011 to present, with the efforts of training institutions and localities in vocational training, the number of people receiving vocational training annually in the province has reached more than 81,600 people. Most of the trained workers have applied and promoted the effectiveness, improved labor productivity and created jobs for themselves. However, to further link vocational training with the socio-economic development of the province, there are still issues that need to be overcome...

Practice at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Vinh University of Technical Education. Photo: Thanh Thuy

Innovations

By the end of 2014, Nghe An had 6 vocational colleges (including 1 non-public school), 9 vocational secondary schools, 24 vocational training centers (including 8 non-public centers) and 25 vocational training establishments (including 13 non-public establishments) and was the province with the largest network of vocational training establishments in the North Central region, accounting for 42%. The system of colleges and vocational secondary schools has basically met the vocational training needs in the regions and areas in the province. In addition, vocational training centers in districts such as Dien Chau, Hung Nguyen, Anh Son, Thanh Chuong, Nam Dan... have been upgraded and become reliable addresses in vocational training and career guidance for local workers.

Facilities, techniques, and equipment of vocational training institutions in the province have also been invested and upgraded; the number and quality of teachers and vocational training managers have increased. Along with that, vocational training institutions have made many positive innovations in enrollment and improved teaching and learning quality. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh - Principal of the Boarding Ethnic Vocational College, said: "If in 2008, the school only trained at the elementary level, now it has trained 4 intermediate level occupations: civil electricity, welding, veterinary medicine and fashion sewing (in which civil electricity and welding are selected as key national occupations); 11 elementary level occupations are: industrial sewing, brocade weaving, mushroom growing, information technology, cattle farming, pig farming, chicken farming, civil electricity, electric welding, motorbike repair, orange growing. In recent years, the school has continuously exceeded the enrollment and training targets assigned by the Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.

In 2014 alone, the school enrolled and trained 1,185 elementary level students (exceeding the target by 22%); recruited 165 new vocational secondary school students (reaching 100% of the target), bringing the total number of students studying vocational secondary school at the school to 375. To achieve the above results, from the beginning of each school year, the school has actively coordinated with junior high and high schools to do career guidance and streaming work to help students make the right choice in deciding to study a regular career, at the same time, grasp the parent meeting schedules of high schools and junior high schools in the area to propagate and provide career guidance for students in grades 9 and 12. In addition, the school always focuses on political and ideological education and career orientation for students; encourages students studying at the school to become "propagandists" for enrollment. At the same time, mobilize the participation of Party committees and local authorities to coordinate in the training process; advise the People's Committees of communes and towns to organize vocational training to develop and shift the economic structure.

In addition to improving quality, many vocational training institutions have linked with employers to arrange jobs after training, such as Nghe An College of Tourism and Commerce, Vietnam - Korea Industrial Technical Vocational College, Bac Nghe An Vocational College of Economics and Technology... According to a survey, over 85% of students have jobs after graduating from colleges and vocational schools; students who study primary vocational training and regular vocational training have applied and promoted the effectiveness of vocational training to improve labor productivity and create jobs for themselves. The income of workers after vocational training has increased, contributing to stabilizing their lives and reducing poverty. Mr. Nguyen Van Tai - Principal of Bac Nghe An Vocational College of Economics and Technology said: "One of the concerns of parents and students today when choosing to study a trade is the issue of employment after graduation.

To solve this difficulty, the school has promoted vocational training associated with the employment needs of workers and the supply-demand relationship in the labor market. In recent years, the school has had close relationships with companies and businesses to recruit students after graduation such as: Lilama 18 Joint Stock Company, Lilama 7, 3/2 Automobile Mechanical Joint Stock Company, I-Petrolimex Construction Joint Stock Company, Thanh Long Steel Rolling Company, Truong Hai Automobile Company, Tinh Loi Hai Duong Garment Company, Minh Anh Textile,... After graduation, students of the school are recruited by companies and businesses with salaries from 5 million VND/month or more.

Focus on training rural workers

In addition to vocational training for technical workers at vocational colleges and vocational colleges, primary vocational training and vocational training for rural workers are also focused on by many localities. For example, Yen Thanh district has effectively applied the vocational training and poverty reduction model from mushroom cultivation since 2011. At the same time, it has created conditions for converting low-yield rice fields to banana cultivation, creating opportunities for people to access capital, building support programs for seeds, fertilizers, etc. Thanks to the close combination of vocational training and production development, up to now, Yen Thanh district has more than 600 mushroom-producing households in 14 communes, many of which have developed into farms. Along with mushroom growing, from 2011 to present, Yen Thanh has organized 336 vocational training classes for rural workers in the following occupations: industrial sewing, electric welding - gas welding, civil electricity, cultivation, animal husbandry, veterinary, aquaculture, bamboo and rattan weaving..., the total number of trained workers is over 10,100 people. After vocational training, the District Farmers' Association has directed the Association's bases to build models of chicken farming complexes in Quang Thanh commune, duck farming in Phu Thanh commune, civil wood production complex model in Tan Thanh commune, pig farming ensuring the environment in My Thanh commune, developing agroforestry in Lang Thanh commune..., most of the models have developed well and achieved results and are being widely replicated by farmers.

After 4 years of implementing the Resolution of the 17th Provincial Party Congress, up to now, the rate of trained workers in the province has increased from 40% in 2010 to 52% in 2014, the rate of trained workers has increased from 33% in 2010 to 46% in 2014 (an average of more than 81,000 people trained annually). It is estimated that in 2015, the rate of trained workers will reach 55%, achieving the target set by the Resolution of the Congress.

And the disadvantages

However, vocational training still has many shortcomings and inadequacies. Mr. Dang Cao Thang - Deputy Director of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs frankly said: "The scale of vocational training has increased but still cannot meet the requirements, especially technical workers for industrial parks, key economic zones and labor export. The reason is that most training facilities still train according to the capacity of the facility, focusing on occupations such as electricity, electronics, motorbike repair, mechanics, sewing, accounting, information technology... without paying attention to training according to the needs of the labor market. Even in schools with systematic investment, the training occupations between schools still overlap, there are no high-tech occupations according to market requirements. Meanwhile, key occupations and strengths to meet the requirements of socio-economic development of the province such as: cement, construction materials, hydropower, large-scale livestock farming and milk processing... are being "forgotten".

The curriculum and training programs at vocational schools are still not suitable for the recruitment needs of business owners and entrepreneurs; the quality of teachers at some vocational schools is still low and uneven, the fear of innovation in teaching methods goes hand in hand with the widespread situation of "teaching without training". This leads to the fact that for some occupations such as fashion sewing, although the recruitment needs of some famous private garment establishments are quite high, most units have to recruit unskilled people and then retrain them. Meanwhile, the sewing training program at vocational schools from intermediate to college only trains industrial sewing workers or trains according to orders from companies, slow to innovate, slow to adapt to practical requirements. In addition, the budget to support vocational training for ethnic minority and rural workers, vocational training for disabled workers is still limited, with low standards".

Therefore, in the coming time, to improve the quality of vocational training, aiming for the rate of trained workers to reach over 75% (of which trained workers reach 70%; technical workers reach 15.94%) by 2020, the province needs to clearly define the groups of workers in vocational training to have appropriate training orientations and plans, close to the vocational training needs of workers and the socio-economic development situation of the province. Innovate and promote propaganda, consulting, job introduction and raise awareness for all classes of people about the importance of vocational training for the socio-economic development requirements of the province. In addition, it is necessary to improve the mechanism, policies and State management on vocational training, especially policies for apprentices, workers through vocational training, policies for enterprises participating in vocational training... Complete and rectify vocational colleges, vocational secondary schools and vocational training centers that are operating ineffectively; expand the scale and improve the quality of vocational training in rural areas and ethnic minority areas. In addition, it is necessary to expand the domestic and foreign labor market; create all favorable conditions to attract many economic groups to Nghe An to invest or open vocational training facilities, promote international cooperation on vocational training...

Minh Quan