Vocational training for women: Not yet very effective.

(Baonghean) - Although female laborers account for a relatively high percentage in rural and mountainous areas, the number of women receiving vocational training is quite low. Faced with this reality, many localities have recently focused on vocational training linked to product consumption for women. However, difficulties in finding markets and other shortcomings have resulted in low effectiveness.

Incense making is a traditional craft of Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong's family in Hamlet 5, Nghi Truong Commune (Nghi Loc District). However, partly due to busy village affairs and partly due to concerns about sales, her family stopped production for a period. The revival of the craft only began recently. Even so, in the beginning, her family faced many difficulties. Previously, incense was made using the traditional hand-rolling method. Now, switching to a new method, although productivity is 7 or 8 times higher, they had to relearn everything from scratch to get used to the machinery. They also had to find laborers and instruct them on how to roll incense and mix ingredients. Recalling that early period, Ms. Hong admitted to facing many hardships and stated, "If it weren't for the support of the District Women's Union in training women in this craft, the work would have been much more challenging."

Restoring the traditional incense-making craft in Tay Lan village, Nghi Truong commune, is one of the main objectives of the Nghi Loc District Women's Union when bringing incense-making training classes to the village. After more than a year of implementation, with nearly 20 households reviving the craft and creating jobs for over a hundred workers, the effectiveness of the vocational training plan is evident. However, due to difficulties in marketing, even though it is a traditional craft of the village, when sold, it still has to bear the brand of other craft villages in Hanoi. Market access is also a common difficulty for crafts such as crochet in Nghi Van commune, and rattan and bamboo weaving in Nghi Hop, Nghi Cong Bac, and Nghi Yen. In addition, although Nghi Loc is one of the leading districts in the province in vocational training for rural women and has its own program, the program's funding is limited. Meanwhile, the functions of the District Women's Union are limited, and in many places, due to a lack of funding, vocational training classes have not been organized, resulting in a vocational training rate for women of only 45%.

Training women in brocade weaving in Con Cuong district.

Struggling to find markets for their products after vocational training and establishing workshops is something I encountered in the vocational training class for women led by Ms. Ho Thi Hong Thuy, Thanh Thuy Cooperative (Nam Thanh commune, Nam Dan district), and in the brocade weaving class led by Ms. Luong Thi Lan, Head of the Women's Association in Mac village, Thach Giam commune, Tuong Duong district. According to them, learning and practicing the craft isn't difficult, but the hardest part is finding a market. Currently, sales are mainly handled by the women themselves, who even have to directly sell each product individually. For example, Ms. Thuy, besides supplying souvenir shops in the Kim Lien Historical Site, has to pack goods monthly to send to her sister in Ho Chi Minh City for resale…

Ms. Luong Thi Phuong Anh, President of the Women's Union of Quy Chau District, shared: Currently, all 12 communes and towns in the district have opened vocational training classes in brocade weaving and incense making. However, maintaining these classes regularly is very difficult because there are currently no dedicated brocade weaving classes in the district; instead, they have to borrow premises from offices, community centers, or private homes. This also creates difficulties in transporting machinery and teaching equipment because brocade weaving requires bulky vehicles. Furthermore, the teachers for brocade weaving classes are mainly artisans. But besides their high skill level, these artisans are limited by their age, lack of management skills, lack of pedagogical skills, and lack of necessary certificates to open vocational training classes according to regulations. Therefore, the province needs a long-term plan to teach brocade weaving in a systematic way. This will create a source of skilled workers for districts and communes to maintain and develop the craft in the long term.

At the Nghe An Industrial Promotion Center, despite being the most active unit in coordinating with women's associations in districts, cities, and towns to open vocational training classes in nearly 30 industries and trades, Mr. Hoang Van Dien – Deputy Director of the Industrial Promotion Center – admitted that many trades, after trainees complete their courses, cannot be implemented due to a lack of markets. Regarding the export-oriented rattan and bamboo weaving trade, the center used to open training classes for women every year, but since 2014, it has had to stop because most workers are not interested due to low daily wages, frequent product returns, and high raw material costs.

Regarding vocational training for women in rural areas, Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan, Head of the Labor and Employment Department of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, stated: Currently, female workers account for nearly 60% of those receiving vocational training under Project 1956. However, the implementation of vocational training in some areas is still slow and inconsistent. Some professions are not suitable for the characteristics of each region and economic sector, and are not linked to the overall socio-economic development plan, the new rural development plan, especially the plan for agricultural production, small-scale handicrafts, and services. The scale of vocational training for rural workers has not met social demands, only satisfying about 50% of the need. There is still a situation where some vocational training classes and facilities prioritize quantity over quality; they are not suitable for the needs of trainees and employers.

Some trainees, after completing their training, are unable to utilize their learned skills effectively or can only work for a limited time or seasonally; there is a lack of close coordination between vocational training institutions and local authorities, departments, social organizations, and businesses in linking vocational training with job placement. The vocational training capacity of vocational training institutions, especially vocational training centers, is limited; facilities, equipment, and resources for vocational training have not kept pace with the development of science and technology; the teaching staff does not meet the requirements; not many vocational trainers (technical staff, engineers, highly skilled workers in businesses and production facilities, and skilled farmers) have been mobilized to participate in vocational training for rural laborers; in some places, teaching is still heavily focused on theory and principles, lacking practical experience and models.

To address this situation, according to the experience of Ms. Dinh Thi Hanh, President of the Women's Union of Nghi Loc District, before implementing vocational training, it is necessary to understand the thoughts and aspirations of the people, survey the needs in the area, and based on that, develop a vocational training plan. The best vocational training programs should be linked to existing traditional crafts or trades to both preserve the craft and ensure long-term commitment. In addition, vocational training can be linked to businesses investing in production in the area; and vocational training plans for rural laborers should be developed in conjunction with the socio-economic development plans of each locality and the National Target Program on building new rural areas.

Focus on replicating successful pilot vocational training models; vocational training should be linked to businesses, craft villages, and specialized farming areas. Furthermore, it must be recognized that vocational training for women requires not only the involvement of government at all levels but also the participation of the Vietnam Women's Union. Based on this, it is crucial to understand the aspirations, needs, abilities, and limitations of female workers in order to provide timely support and develop plans tailored to each industry, locality, age group, and ethnic group.

My Ha