Associate Professor Nguyễn Hữu Quỳnh, vice rector of CMC University, said that concurrent education helps narrow the gap between academic training and practice while also giving learners experience with a real working environment at an earlier stage. — VNA/VNS Photo Diệu Thúy

HÀ NỘI — Faced with the rapid advancement of science, technology and digital transformation, vocational education is under pressure to renew curricula and to transform its mindset on workforce development.

The spirit of Resolution 57‑NQ/TW on breakthrough developments in science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation, along with Resolution 71‑NQ/TW on strengthening education and training, is prompting educational institutions to shift from goals based on existing capacity to those driven by labour market needs and the country’s growth requirements.

A parallel training model with substantive enterprise participation is needed to narrow the gap between training and employment and to help form a workforce with high-level skills and technological mastery.

Professor Nguyễn Quốc Sỹ, director of the Russia–Việt Nam Innovation Centre and President of the VinIT Institute of Technology, says that Resolutions 57 and 71 are complementary in their workforce development requirements.

While Resolution 57 sets the objective of building a highly skilled workforce to serve the development of science, technology, innovation and national digital transformation, Resolution 71 establishes mechanisms that enable educational institutions to exercise autonomy and carry out solutions to realise that objective.

“This requirement for vocational education providers today is not simply to open new programmes or to adjust enrolment quotas but, more importantly, to change governance mindsets and training methods,” Sỹ says.

Moving away from an approach based on the institution’s existing capabilities, training providers must shift to align more closely with labour market demand, national development strategy and global technological trends.

“This is also a necessary condition for institutions to adapt to rapid changes in science and technology and the new demands of the economy,” he says.

Along with a renewal of governance thinking, student recruitment should place greater emphasis on the quality of entrants and their capacity to adapt to a digital environment.

“In teaching and learning, the emphasis must no longer be limited to transmitting knowledge by traditional methods; it must focus on developing practical skills, creative thinking, digital competencies, lifelong learning capacity and the ability to work in an international environment,” says Sỹ.

Sỹ notes that amid rapid advances in artificial intelligence, big data and automation, specialised knowledge can change quickly. Vocational education should therefore concentrate on building learners’ capacity to adapt to new technologies so that they can meet labour market requirements at each stage of development, rather than merely being equipped with fixed bodies of knowledge.

He also says that the parallel training model needs to be implemented more substantively, with companies participating from an early stage. This includes tasks such as defining graduate outcomes and designing curricula, along with organising practical training and assessing learning results.

“Students should be exposed to real workplace environments from the early years of study, rather than being limited to internships at the end of a programme,” he says.

Curricula should be regularly updated with technologies currently adopted by enterprises, while also strengthening specialised foreign language proficiency and intercultural working skills to enhance learners’ adaptability.

To enable the deeper involvement of companies in training, Sỹ suggests mechanisms that ensure balanced interests among the State, educational institutions and businesses.

Relevant parties should study incentive policies for firms that invest in practical training equipment, participate in vocational training and accept students for internships. They should also establish funds to support vocational skills development and create co‑investment mechanisms for strategic technology sectors.

Business practices

CMC University vice rector and Associate Professor Nguyễn Hữu Quỳnh says that the parallel training model is undergoing a transformation.

Businesses used to participate in training mainly during internships, typically after students have completed their programmes. Now, however, they engage during curriculum development, through training and even through the assessment of learning outcomes.

This approach helps to align training more closely with enterprises' practical requirements.

In renewed training methods, institutions cultivate learner proactivity through the application of technology and a new approach focused on training in selected technological fields according to workforce development needs.

Continuous company involvement plays a role throughout the training process, from curriculum and learning resource development to hosting students in real working environments, jointly assessing results and participating in recruitment after graduation.

Nguyễn Văn Lưu, CEO of the Đồng Tâm High‑Tech Agriculture Joint Stock Company, says that the participation of firms in training stems from their own development needs.

“In high‑tech agriculture, if the workforce is not trained close to real practice, the company must spend additional time and resources retraining staff before they can be deployed on production lines. Allowing students to experience the workplace during their studies benefits both sides,” he says.

Enterprises can help prepare a workforce suited to production needs, reducing time and costs for retraining, while students gain exposure to production processes, technologies and real working environments while still at school, thus shortening the time needed to adapt after graduation.

Alongside vocational skills, learners should be equipped to operate smart devices, manage production data, implement electronic traceability, engage with circular production models and contribute to sustainable development.

Integrating these skills into curricula will help produce a workforce better able to meet companies’ requirements amid the nation's digital transformation. — VNS