Labourers learn vocational skills to make woven products in Sóc Trăng Province’s Kế Sách District. – VNA/VNS Photo Tuấn Phi

SÓC TRĂNG – Sóc Trăng Province has effectively taken measures to provide vocational skills and create jobs for rural labourers.

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province has organised many short-term courses to provide vocational skills for rural people so they can get a job and have a stable income.

Nguyễn Phước Hữu, a local in Ngã Năm Town’s Vĩnh Qưới Commune, has no farmland and used to be poor.

After he was provided a free vocational course on making handicraft products from weaving dried water hyacinths, his family life has improved and escaped poverty in 2022, he said.

In Mỹ Xuyên District, more than 33 per cent of its population are Khmer people and its Women Union has organised more than 20 vocational courses on making weaving products for local women.

Trần Hồng Ni, chairwoman of the union, said the union has developed 11 models of making woven products with the participation of 750 members.

These members earn an income of VNĐ2.4-4 million (US$95-160) a month, she said.

In Ngã Năm Town, the Ngã Năm Town Vocational Education - Continuing Education Centre organised three-month courses on making handicraft products, aquaculture and industrial sewing for 857 rural labourers last year.

More than 92 per cent of them have found jobs after completing their course, according to the centre.

Nguyễn Văn Vũ, its director, said the model of short-term vocational courses has helped labourers to get a job and contributed to reducing poverty sustainably.

His centre has provided vocational skills for rural labourers while also securing jobs for them, he said.

In Long Phú District, more than 95 per cent of labourers have a stable job after participating in a vocational course, according to local authorities.

Kim Thị Hoàng in Trường Thọ Hamlet in the district’s Trường Khánh Commune said that after learning to make beaded products, she and other people in the hamlet make and sell beaded products to an establishment which buys them at a price of VNĐ50,000-100,000 ($2-4) a product.

“Thanks to learning vocational skills, I and many people here have stable jobs, better incomes and our lives are less difficult than before.”

In the district’s Hậu Thạnh Commune, women in Chùa Ông Hamlet have established the Chùa Ông Hamlet Weaving Group to make woven hyacinth products.

Most of the group members are house wives and after doing their house work, they make woven hyacinth products in their free time.

Trần Thị Ngọc Bích, head of the group, said she and other members are trying to improve their product quality and make new products to meet demand.

Planning

The provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs plans to create jobs for 28,000-30,000 labourers and provide vocational skills for 16,000-18,000 labourers this year.

It will strengthen advocacy activities to enhance the awareness of people about support policies for vocational education, and assist providing vocational skills for young people.

It will develop linkages between vocational schools and enterprises to create jobs for labourers after they finish a vocational course, and strengthen consulting and introducing jobs for labourers.

The province provided vocational skills for 17,540 labourers and created jobs for 29,412 labourers last year.

It expects to have 10 industrial parks with a total area of 4,334ha and 18 industrial clusters with a total area of 983.6ha by 2050 to create jobs for local people.

Trần Văn Lâu, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said the locality is very interested in building industrial parks and industrial clusters to attract labourers and create jobs for local people.

Creating on-site jobs for local people, especially Khmer labourers, is necessary and ensures social security and order, he said.

A large number of labourers in the province have had to go to work in southeast provinces and HCM City.

Sóc Trăng now has two industrial parks - An Nghiệp and Trần Đề.

The former in Châu Thành District covers 243ha and is fully occupied while the later in Trần Đề District is under construction and covers 160ha.

The province also has five industrial clusters covering a total of 202.5ha. – VNS