Meeting today's and tomorrow's skills needs

The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) and the International Labor Organization (ILO), organized a national conference entitled “Meeting Today’s and Tomorrow’s Skills Needs” in HCM City on 25 April.

Press release | 26 April 2013
HCM City (ILO News) -- The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) and the International Labor Organization (ILO), organized a national conference entitled “Meeting Today’s and Tomorrow’s Skills Needs” in HCM City on 25 April.

The main purpose of the conference is to bring together key stakeholders, including representatives of government, private sectors, workers’ organizations, and development partners to discuss the current situation, challenges and opportunities for skills development in Viet Nam and how best to bridge the gap between the training sector and the world of work with reference to international experiences and good practices in Viet Nam. Recommendations were also made for the legal and institutional reforms with a focus on the ongoing revision of the Law on Vocational Training.

In his welcoming speech, Vice Minister of MOLISA Nguyen Ngoc Phi emphasized that skills development has become a top priority in the national development agenda. This has been translated into the Government’s commitment and efforts in adopting the National Strategy for Vocational Training Development for the period of 2011-2020 (May 2012) and revising the Law on Vocational Training. The aim is to improve the quality of the vocational training and create a skilled workforce that meets the needs of business and changing labor markets to support productivity growth, improved competitiveness and job creation.

He also stressed on the importance of active participation of employers in addressing the issue of skill mismatch in Viet Nam to create more productive and skilled workforce for the future.

Skilled labor force is one of the decisive factors for securing the competitiveness of business in the context of globalization. There exists a strong need for more effective coordination and cooperation among stakeholders in which the employers and employers’ oganization should play an important role. This would ensure the sustainable growth of the business and show strong commitment of employers towards the Corporate Social Responsibility.

In his speech at the conference, Director of the ILO Country Office for Viet Nam Gyorgy Sziraczki emphasized the important link between education and training and export growth, economic diversification and creation of more and better job. He also addressed to all stakeholders the need of “improving the quality and relevance of vocational training and education and entrepreneurship in order to better meet the labor market needs of today and future.”

The conference attracted the participation of over 80 representatives of the local and foreign business associations, enterprises, schools and international organizations. Representatives of World Bank, Asian Development Bank, JICA expressed their strong support and commitment to working with the Government and local partners in the area of vocational training.