Difficulties of vocational education centers - continuing education
(Baonghean) - Merging vocational training centers, continuing education centers, and comprehensive technical and career guidance centers is considered a solution to improve training efficiency and help streamline the apparatus... However, besides that, there are still difficulties that need to be resolved.
Students have jobs right after graduation
Among the 12 merged localities, the Center for Vocational Education - Continuing Education (GDNN - GDTX) of Dien Chau district is considered one of the leading units in terms of operational efficiency. Currently, the center has 23 classes for GDTX students, 2 more classes than in previous years. In addition, promoting the foundation of the old vocational training center, the center has diversified the types of vocational training. Therefore, the number of vocational students has increased rapidly from 500 to nearly 1,000 students. After completing their studies, most of the students are directly recruited by businesses at the unit.
“After the merger, we were supplemented in both staff and facilities. Therefore, the center's scale of operations is larger and more diverse, and we also have the conditions to improve the quality of training to gain the trust of students.”
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| Welding practice session of students at the Vocational Education and Continuing Education Center of Dien Chau district. Photo: My Ha |
At the end of 2016, the Quy Chau District Vocational Education and Continuing Education Center was also established on the basis of merging the District Vocational Training Center and the District Continuing Education Center. Currently, the center is a public service unit under the People's Committee of Quy Chau District, and is under the professional direction of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs and the Department of Education and Training.
After more than 2 years of establishment, the Center has gradually completed its organizational structure, built basic operating regulations, and ensured the proper implementation of assigned functions and tasks. Operations are also more convenient when the unit has spacious facilities, with enough basic equipment to ensure the requirements of elementary vocational training and organize regular educational activities as well as other service activities.
The merger of the Vocational Education Center and the Continuing Education Center aims to reduce the number of focal points, save on facilities and improve operational efficiency, in line with the functions and tasks of the center. In addition, it is consistent with the development trend of training workers with both high school knowledge and intermediate vocational skills, contributing to improving the quality of the general labor market.
Solving the problem of local teacher surplus and shortage
Previously, the province had 19 district-level continuing education centers under the management of the Department of Education and Training (DOET). Implementing Joint Circular No. 39/2015/TTLT-BLDTBXH-BGDDT-BNV of the Ministries of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), Education and Training, and Home Affairs, continuing education centers, vocational training centers, and general technical and vocational guidance centers were merged into vocational education and continuing education centers, managed by the district-level People's Committees. Currently, the province has 12 merged centers.
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| Teachers of Vinh City Continuing Education Center participate in cooking training at the facility. Photo: My Ha |
After the merger, the initial effects of the units have been clearly seen, such as the strengthening of staff and facilities, helping to streamline the apparatus and providing more choices for learners. However, because the merger is in its early stages, there are still difficulties, the most obvious being the overlapping management and operation of the centers. Each center is under the management and direction of 3 units at 2 different levels. The Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs directs vocational training, the Department of Education and Training directs continuing education, the District People's Committee manages finance and human resources... For example, the job counseling and introduction activities are organized by the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs and call for participation from 12th grade students. However, with the direction of the Department of Education and Training, the final year focuses on review. In reality, the characteristics of each locality are different. During the merger process, without the coordination of related sectors, vocational education and continuing education centers will find it difficult to promote their effectiveness.
In addition, after the merger, some centers have a serious shortage of teachers. For example, the Vocational Education and Continuing Education Center of Hung Nguyen district, in terms of cultural teachers, there is a shortage of 4 teachers for Math, Physics, History, Geography but there are 3 surplus teachers for Literature, English, and Physical Education; vocational training also lacks 2 teachers for Sewing and Cooking. Therefore, although the budget is not much, the center still has to sign teaching contracts and compensate for budget salaries, there is no money for investment and development.
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| The cultural class is quite well-invested in at the Vocational Education and Continuing Education Center of Dien Chau district. Photo: My Ha |
Reality also shows that not only Hung Nguyen district but also other centers after the merger are facing similar difficulties. Specifically, at this time, because there is no unified document system for the model of the new unit, but only a mechanical combination of 2 documents of GDTX and Vocational Guidance, there are problems in the implementation process, such as the emulation work, the continuing education department still implements according to the school year, while the vocational training department implements according to the fiscal year.
The time difference leads to unfair and unobjective evaluation of competition results. The above problems not only cause difficulties for the merged centers, but also worry the remaining 7 centers in the process of merging, when the policy is unclear.
“I completely agree with the policy of merging units to reduce the number of focal points, streamline the payroll, and improve the quality of operations of the units. However, it is necessary to carefully study the merger options so that they are in accordance with legal regulations, such as the need to unify and synchronize the management of continuing education centers throughout the province.”
