14 billion VND project for a cooking class

((Baonghean.vn) - Although more than 14 billion VND was invested to build a vocational training center, it is difficult to attract workers to study at the center.The reason is that there are only 5 positions.

As a poor district under the Government's 30a program, hunger eradication and poverty reduction is one of the key tasks that the Party Committee, government and the entire political system from the district to the grassroots level in Que Phong have focused on leading and directing in recent times.

In addition to focusing on timely, democratic and targeted implementation of poverty reduction support policies at all levels, the district also has innovations and creativity in leading and directing the implementation of investment programs and projects, and socio-economic development suitable to the local situation.

In particular, the district has implemented 25 projects and economic models that have had a positive impact on poverty reduction, such as passion fruit, mulberry, medicinal plant yellow tea, Sao Va pig, cage fish, melon, and upland melon.

Comrade Hoang Viet Duong - Member of the Provincial Party Executive Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council spoke at the meeting. Photo: Mai Hoa

The district also assigned agencies, units, and schools in the area to sponsor and support 2-3 poor households/year. At the same time, the organization of investigation, assessment, and classification of poor households was focused on.

Based on identifying 4 groups of causes of poverty (due to families having members with social evils; lack of labor force; laziness; insufficient resources for economic development, mainly falling on young families that have just separated), the district also proposed appropriate solutions.

However, the poverty rate in the district as of December 2016 is still 45.95%. The most concerned solution in poverty reduction is to create jobs for workers.

Vice Chairman of Lang Van Minh District People's Committee clarified 4 reasons leading to high poverty rate in Que Phong area. Photo: Mai Hoa

However, in reality, according to Mr. Nguyen Dau Long - Head of the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, this problem is very difficult because workers do not receive vocational training. Although the district invested more than 14 billion VND to build a vocational training center, it is difficult to attract workers to study at the center. The reason is that the center only has 5 staff, no permanent teachers; most of the classes opened have to hire teachers from vocational schools, leading to high costs.

For several years, the center has cooperated with Vocational College No. 1, under the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, to open only one intermediate cooking class with 35 students; but the cooperation with enterprises to train workers to work in enterprises and industrial zones has not been done yet. Because workers are not trained in a profession, finding jobs is difficult. In 2016, the whole district created new jobs for about 1,600 workers, of which 120 were exported to low-income markets.

Referring to the solution, comrade Lu Dinh Thi - Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the District People's Council requested that all levels and sectors should step in to speed up the allocation of land and forests so that people can confidently develop production; put Que Phong into the paper material area to serve the Nghia Dan MDF factory...

The monitoring delegation discussed with leaders of Que Son commune, Que Phong district about poverty reduction solutions implemented recently in the area. Photo: Mai Hoa

Concluding the meeting, Comrade Hoang Viet Duong - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council highly appreciated Que Phong's efforts in poverty reduction in recent times. The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council also pointed out some limitations, such as high poverty rate; unclear management and allocation of investment resources for hunger eradication and poverty reduction; assessment of poor households in some places and at some times is not democratic and objective. The mentality of dependence of some officials and poor households still exists; the risk of falling back into poverty is high; social evils have had and are having a very clear negative impact on hunger eradication and poverty reduction...

Emphasizing the need for more focus and determination in poverty reduction, comrade Hoang Viet Duong requested the district to continue to lead and direct in order to achieve the target of poverty reduction by an average of 4-5%/year. Focus on promoting economic development, improving production and business efficiency in key economic sectors and fields of the district. Pay attention to attracting investment, especially in the fields of agriculture, agricultural processing, trade services...

Continue to thoroughly grasp the guidelines and policies of the Party, the National Assembly, and the Government on sustainable poverty reduction solutions; raise awareness, sense of responsibility, and will to escape poverty among officials and people; use sustainable poverty reduction criteria to evaluate the level of task completion of Party committees, organizations, agencies, units, and individual leaders. Pay attention to integrating national target programs such as new rural construction, program 30a, program 134, program 167, preferential credit loans, to effectively implement hunger eradication and poverty reduction; prioritize the use of resources for the right purposes, targets, and efficiency.

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