VietNamNet Bridge – Unreasonable things have been identified in the structure of Vietnam’s human resources for science and technology development. Only 10% of workers in the field have graduate degrees in the field.

The quotas for enrolling students for information technology increased rapidly in the last three years

According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, the quotas for enrolling students for information technology increased rapidly in the last three years. In 2008, the figure was 50,000 students, an increase of 125% over 2007, and 160% over 2006.

Universities and junior colleges nationwide every year provide 110,000 information technology engineers. However, only 10% become effective employees.

Automation proves to be one of the production fields that most seriously lack human resources. Do Huu Hao, Chairman of the Vietnam Automation Association, said that most technical universities have this study branch, but the industry is still lacking labourers. Hao said that there are only 5,000 labourers working in fields related to automation across the country.

Similarly, human resources for biology is also seriously lacking. By mid 2007, Vietnam had 1,500 bachelors, engineers, 400 MAs and 90 PhDs in biology.

According to Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Van Lang, the technology is now lacking the ‘conductors’ who are capable enough to run the ‘orchestra of agricultural biology’ well.

Lang sad that though the network of laboratories has been developed with more labs set up in many places, there has not been good cooperation in research, training and application.

And players as well

Lang has warned that if Vietnam does not have highly-qualified labourers, hi-tech zones which have been established will become simply industrial zones with factories, production lines. There, in the industrial zones, only technicians and workers are needed to run equipment. If so, the heavy investments from the state budget and the big preferences granted to businesses in the fields will fail to meet the target of creating new technologies that help improve the competitiveness of Vietnam-made products.

The demand for human resources from now to 2020:

(Source: The Strategy and Education Programme Institute under the Ministry of Education and Training MOET)

The Ministry of Science and Technology has asked relevant ministries to make suggestions on the development of high technologies, and mobilise all possible sources for the cause of training labourers for high technologies.

The ministry believes that it is necessary to apply policies which encourage the opening of universities, international or regional technology institutes in Vietnam.

VietNamNet/SGTT