From awareness to action: Enhanced capacity for Vietnamese youth for decent work and green jobs

HA NOI (ILO News) - In the spirit of Viet Nam’s Youth Month, on 18 and 26 March, the International Labour Organization (ILO), under the framework of the ILO–Korea Partnership Programme, in collaboration with the Viet Nam Youth Network for Decent Work, Green Jobs and Career Development (Youth Network), organized two training workshops for young people. The workshops focused on promoting decent work, advancing green jobs, and strengthening behaviour change communication skills.

These workshops marked the launch of a youth‑focused training series designed to equip young women and men with essential knowledge and practical skills, enabling them to build confidence as they transition into the labour market and pursue quality and sustainable employment opportunities.

Building a foundation on decent work and green jobs…

The first training workshop, titled “Youth and the Pathway to Decent Work and Green Jobs,” attracted around 130 young participants, 76 per cent of whom were women, through both in-person and online formats. Participants were introduced to the concepts of decent work and green jobs, the challenges of Viet Nam’s labour market, as well as emerging trends and career opportunities for young people.

Through a dialogue session with recruitment experts and business representatives, participants gained valuable practical insights, enabling them to better identify the skills they need to prepare before entering the labour market.

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© ILO

“I really enjoyed the group work based on real workplace situations. It helped me better understand workers’ rights and responsibilities - knowledge that is very useful for my journey towards finding a decent job.” – shared by Do Duc Minh, a participant attending the training.

Meanwhile, Ha Thi Hai Yen offered another practical perspective from the training programme:

“The insights shared by guest speakers from the recruitment agencies and companies were especially valuable for final‑year students like us. I feel more confident now about planning my career.”

I feel more confident now about planning my career.

Ha Thi Hai Yen

…and strengthening behaviour change communication skills and action planning

One week later, on 26 March, the training course entitled “Behaviour Change Communication and Content Creation Skills” was conducted, bringing together nearly 100 young participants, 78 per cent of whom were women.

The training aimed to strengthen youth capacities to transform knowledge on decent work into concrete communication and advocacy initiatives. Participants were introduced to core behaviour change communication principles, engaged in hands-on exercises to develop communication plans, and discussed the opportunities and ethical considerations of applying AI tools in communication, as well as the digital skills challenges facing young people today.

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© ILO

Reflecting on the training, Nguyen Thao Thu shared her thoughts:

“What impressed me most was learning how to measure the impact of communication activities and the steps needed to sustain behaviour change. This knowledge enables me to design and evaluate campaigns in a more systematic and effective way. As a communication student, these skills are highly practical and directly relevant to my future career.”

From ideas to practical actions

To ensure that knowledge goes beyond theory, the programme incorporated interactive activities that encouraged young people to directly develop ideas for communication and awareness -raising initiatives. These initiatives focused on areas of interest to youth, such as youth employment, career guidance and career development, decent work, and green jobs, and were further shaped into plans with strong potential for real‑world implementation.

Representing the Youth Network, Vu Thi Khanh Huyen said:

“We are proud to contribute to the success of this training series. We hope to have more meaningful communication activities for young people, inspired by and built upon the foundations laid during these training days.”

A commitment to accompanying the younger generation

Witnessing the strong learning spirit and creativity demonstrated by the young participants, Ms Sinwon Park, Director of the ILO Country Office for Viet Nam, reaffirmed the ILO’s commitment, stating:

“The ILO will always stand with Vietnamese youth as active partners in the journey towards building a fairer, greener and more inclusive future of work.”

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© ILO

Meanwhile, Mr Shin Hochul, Chief Technical Advisor of the ILO–Korea Partnership Programme, emphasized:

“The questions, reflections and ideas you shared today may well be the first building blocks shaping the future of green jobs in Viet Nam. You have every potential to become pioneers of change.”

© ILO

© ILO

Participants in the training series highly appreciated the programme’s strong connectivity and coherent learning pathway, from gaining a solid understanding of the concepts and characteristics of decent work and green jobs to practicing effective communication on these themes. As a result, they feel more confident in implementing activities and initiatives that amplify youth voices and contribute to building a greener and more decent future of work for young people in Viet Nam.

This outcome also reflects one of the core objectives of the ILO–Korea Partnership Programme, funded by the Government of the Republic of Korea.

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* This article was prepared by Vu Thi Khanh Huyen, Nguyen Thi Duyen, and Nguyen Thi Phuc – members of the Viet Nam Youth Network for Decent Work, Green Jobs and Career Development.