Australia Continues To Support For Vietnam's Vocational Education

The Australian Embassy in Vietnam and Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) on April 14 launched Australia’s next phase of support for Vietnam’s vocational education and training (VET).

Over the past four years, as vietnamplus reported, Aus4Skills strengthened the engagement of Vietnam’s logistics industry in VET to help ensure that students graduate with the skills required by logistics employers.

At the launch ceremony for the project. Photo: nhandan.

Since 2017, more than 5,300 Vietnamese vocational students have benefitted from improved teaching quality in colleges supported by Aus4Skills. Enrolments in logistics courses in these colleges have increased eight-fold. Graduates from these colleges are in higher demand due to their job readiness.

According to nhandan, the 13.8 million AUD project, lasting from 2021 to 2025, aims to help Vietnam improve the skills of its workforce in order to achieve the ambitious goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045.

The support programme focuses on the logistics industry, an industry prioritised for development in Vietnam and expected to contribute 8%-10% to total national income by 2025.

The Vietnam - Australia Human Resource Development programme (Aus4Skills) has boosted the linkages of logistics enterprises with vocational education in Vietnam, helping ensure the skills of graduates meet the requirements of employers in the logistics industry.

Le Tan Dung, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs; Bridget Collier, Acting Deputy Ambassador of Australia to Vietnam; Truong Anh Dung, Director General of the General Directorate of Vocational and Training; Tran Thi Lan Anh, General Secretary of the VCCI, launched the project. (Photo: VNA)

Australia’s assistance, provided by the Aus4Skills programme, will focus on continued cooperation with MOLISA’s Directorate for Vocational Education and Training, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, colleges and industry partners. The project activities, with continued linkages and inputs from industry, will offer professional development for Vietnamese vocational teachers, managers and leaders, frameworks to ensure quality training and curriculum that matches the needs of industry. Australia’s support will also continue to provide access to training and employment in the logistics sector to women and people with disabilities. Logistics has traditionally been viewed as an industry for men, despite the skills and capabilities that women offer.

“In Vietnam, logistics is identified as an important service industry of the national economy that supports connectivity and economic development. A skilled workforce is key to developing the logistics industry. With the onset of Aus4Skills VET Phase 2, I strongly believe this is another step to realise a shared vision of Australia and Vietnam to upskill the workforce in Vietnam,” said Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Le Tan Dung.

Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie said “Australia remains committed to supporting Vietnam in its next stage of development, including strengthening the skills of its workforce. A skilled workforce will help Vietnam's industries remain competitive. This is very important in order to help Vietnam promote its economy and recover from the pandemic. We are happy to share with you, through the Aus4Skills programme, our experiences in building a dynamic and enterprise-led vocational education and training system.”

Hanoi's Party Secretary Dinh Tien Dung and Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie on Feb 15. Photos: Thanh Hai/ The Hanoi Times

In terms of investment, as Hanoi Times reported, Hanoi appears to be a good destination for Australian investors thanks to its high-qualified manpower, stable growth rate, and potential market. So far, Hanoi is home to more than 100 Australian projects worth US$500 million. Meanwhile, Australia’s finance, science-technology, and management experience would be a good match for Hanoi.

Regarding education, Vietnam and Australia have cooperated in this sector for years. Fields of cooperation identified as priority areas include: vocational education and training management; teacher education; quality assurance; transnational partnership between Vietnam and Australia in vocational training; collaboration between industry and vocational institutions; vocational education and training for vulnerable groups; development of national skill standards; English language training, development and delivery; cooperative research and development; distance education at all levels.

Notably, Australia also supports Vietnam in training English language for peacekeepers.

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