HCM CITY — Close co-operation is needed between government agencies, enterprises and vocational training schools to reduce the skill gap in Việt Nam’s labour market, the head of the General Directorate of Vocational Training said at a two-day workshop held on Thursday in the city.

Nguyễn Hồng Minh said that closer co-operation among companies, their trade associations and government agencies would help schools set up training standards more effectively.

Co-operation would also help students at vocational training schools have more chances for internships, he added.

The workshop, held by the Australian Government and the General Directorate of Vocational Training, is part of an AUD146 million (US$109.5) Aus4Skills project, an Australian Government-funded human resource development programme for Việt Nam which runs from 2016 to 2020.

Workshop participants discussed the problems that hinder the quality and relevance of vocational education and training in Việt Nam, especially in the logistics sector.

The workshop provided an overview of Australia’s industry-linked vocational education and training system, and how its model of using occupational standards can help ensure high quality relevant training.

The outcomes of the workshop will inform the implementation plan for Aus4Skills in which promotion of industry linkages with vocational education and training in logistics will be piloted to improve industry competitiveness, Graham Alliband, the programme’s director, said.

Aus4Skills aims to focus on four occupational standards in logistics: warehouse operator and supervisor, logistics administrator and freight forwarder.

The logistics industry in Việt Nam has great demand for high-quality human resources with both professional expertise and English-language competency, according to the Ministry of Transport.

Of nearly 1 million people working in the industry, there are only 6,000 skilled staff.

Only around 24 per cent of the industry workforce has attended logistics training courses in Việt Nam, while 3.9 percent have attended logistics training abroad. Around 80 per cent have received on-the-job training only.

Around 10 per cent of the workforce has a good command of English in the logistics field.

There are no large-scale or full-time logistics training courses in Việt Nam and many companies have been recruiting graduates from universities and colleges whose majors do not include logistics. —VNS