HANOI (ILO News) – Viet Nam has been piloting the first-ever skills governance model at sectoral level through the establishment the National Sector Skills Council for agriculture to support skills development and promote private sector productivity and competitiveness in the important sector which employs more than 40 per cent of the labour force.

The council – a tripartite structure led by representatives of employers and including representatives of workers’ organization, the Government, vocational education and training institutions – is expected to provide a bridge between labour market and the education and training system to address the skills mismatch between demand and supply.

The country’s first National Sector Skills Council is a pilot initiative supported by the International Labour Organization through the Russia-funded project on Applying the G20 Training Strategy.

The revised Labour Code has new provisions related to technical education and skills development, said Vice Director General of the General Department for Vocational Education and Training, Truong Anh Dung. These include skills development for workers through training activities at different levels, organization of skills tests, participation in skills council, labour forecasts, and development of occupational skills standards.

To boost agricultural values, he said, the National Sector Skills Council plays an important role.

The council will provide up-to-date skills data, provide technical inputs to the development of national occupational skills standards on and off the job training curriculum and career paths for the sector, contribute to the improvements in technical and vocational education and training in Viet Nam, and monitor and evaluate the progress and the results of training activities.