American aid and educational organizations will work with three more Vietnamese universities to improve higher education and technological development in Vietnam, according to the American embassy in Vietnam.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID), Arizona State University (ASU), Fulton Schools of Engineering, Siemens, Intel and other industry partners will cooperate with a total of eight top technical universities and colleges in Vietnam to improve the quality of higher education curriculum and support a growing hi-tech industry, the release said.

The existing Higher Engineering Education Alliance Program (HEEAP) has been expanded through 2014 to facilitate this support.

“Competitive economies require a skilled workforce ready to perform efficiently in a global context,” said USAID country director Francis Donovan. “HEEAP is not only advancing engineering education in Vietnam today, it is fostering a long-term education-industry relationship.”

“HEEAP is an effective collaboration strategy that is yielding significant progress toward our goals for the educational system,” said Dr. Vu Dinh Thanh, rector of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology.

The US$2 million expansion of the program will enable alliance partners to add a vocational component using innovative instructional approaches and pedagogy implemented in the inaugural program. The modernization of vocational education programs, resources and instructional technology will prepare students for success in the global economy.