Fifty-three out of 76 vocational schools and colleges in a nationwide pilot programme have been granted training quality standard certificates from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs’ General Vocational Training Department.

A teacher instructs students on assembling central processing units at HCM City’s Vocational College which is one of 53 to receive a training quality certificate. (Photo: VNS)

The department released its results in Ha Noi yesterday, June 29, after the completion of the 2008-10 trial project which tested 76 training institutions from 1,300 throughout the country.

In order to qualify for a certificate, each school had to satisfy nine criteria based on the quality of teachers, management, textbooks, infrastructure and facilities, scoring at least 80/100 points, according to Deputy Director of the General Department Nghiem Trong Quy.

After being awarded the certificates, schools were set to receive foreign facility investment amongst other incentives, Quysaid.

Certified schools were expected to attract increased numbers of students due to the quality of training they offered, he added.

Around 300 inspectors from provincial departments of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs attested training quality at 5.9 per cent of nearly 1,300 vocational schools nationwide, the lack of sufficient inspectors blamed for the little number of schools visited.

“The move aims to improve the training quality of vocational schools in Viet Nam in order to meet growing labour market demand for modernisation and industrialisation purposes,” Quy said.

The country planned to build additional vocational schools that would meet regional and international standards during the next five to 10 years, he said, adding that these schools, to be attested by 2020, were expected to become field leaders.

“Via self-assessment and inspection, we have discovered our strengths and weaknesses in building high-quality schools,” said a representative from Hung Vuong Engineering Technology Vocational School.

“Due to high library requirements for example, we have to increase our efforts in installing additional facilities, properly managing software and expanding reading rooms,” he added.

Despite good intent, there have been difficulties, including a lack of co-operation and unclear criteria, in implementing the programme, according to the departmental report.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News