Context
Viet Nam is aiming to become an industrialised country by 2020, while following a path of ‘green’ growth. Vocational education is central to this aspiration, for the demand for skilled workers is increasing steadily as the country’s economy continues to grow, new technical challenges emerge and the country pursues regional and international competitiveness. Although about 1.4 million people enter the labour market each year, there is a shortage of skilled workers and technicians with practical training. Only about 27% of workers currently have training that is relevant to the jobs they do, while just 15% have completed formal vocational training.
The Government of Viet Nam has therefore put vocational skills training and employment promotion at the heart of its development goals. This includes strengthening the involvement of private training providers. In a selection process based on specific criteria, the Bach Nghe Hai Phong Polytechnic College was chosen as a private training institution to receive support. The various training courses offered by the college include courses in metalwork and metal processing, but there is a growing demand in the private sector for qualified workers with computer numerically controlled (CNC) metal cutting skills, and this demand cannot currently be met.
Objective
The role of Bach Nghe Hai Phong Polytechnics College as a private training provider has been strengthened through the addition of market-oriented vocational training courses in CNC metal cutting.
Approach
The project pursues a cooperative approach to effect comprehensive improvements in the standard of technical education and vocational training at a private training institution for the occupation ‘CNC metal cutter’. This includes teaching the necessary basic metalwork skills, along with the relevant fundamentals of electronics and electro-technology as well as conventional metal cutting and the application of CNC technologies. The project focuses on further developing the skills and abilities of the teaching staff and management of the college, building up the resources for in-company training phases, and developing the required training materials. An important aspect is the testing of communication and cooperation mechanisms involving the college and private enterprises. The experiences gathered from this are being fed into reforms of the Vietnamese vocational training system.
Results achieved so far
An occupational standard that is in line with German standards has been developed and agreed in close cooperation with local industry representatives. Training modules based on this are currently either in development or are being tested. The teaching and management staff of the college are involved in ongoing further training measures. The first pilot course for the cooperative training scheme began in 2013.