Gia Lộc

HCM CITY — Nguyễn Thị Lương, 34, of Cầu Tre Export Goods Processing Joint-Stock Company has shown creative skills in her work to help raise labour productivity for her company.

Lương, a graduate of Food Industry College’s two-year training course in chemistry, has helped improve molds for compressed tea and knives for cutting bitter melons.

The molds for compressed tea, which have been used since April 2012, have raised productivity from an average of eight tea bricks made per hour to 13 per hour.

Lương’s initiative helped save VNĐ100 million (US$4,385) in a five-month period.

In 2012, Lương also conducted research on knives to cut bitter melons, but initially her results weren’t successful.

Nevertheless, her company’s managers encouraged her to continue.

Named one of “60 excellent young workers” in the country this year, she was honoured by the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee.

Because of her work, Lương has been promoted to deputy head of the company’s Cầu Tre-Gia Hân factory.

Nguyễn Thành Long, a 22-year-old worker from the Mekong Delta province of Đồng Tháp, was also named one the 60 excellent young workers.

After graduating from Nhân Đạo Vocational Training School in 2015, Long began working as a mechanic at Liksin Industry, Printing and Packaging Corp’s facility in Long An Province.

“Whenever a machine breaks down, I spend all day repairing it. If the machine breaks down completely, I ask the veterans to share their experience in repair or I conduct research on the internet,” Long said.

Long has been able to improve the effectiveness of machinery as well as production processes, which has saved power and increased productivity.

His employers saw the value of his hard work and promoted him to deputy manager of machine repair at the corporation’s facility in Long An Province.

Cao Văn Sâm, deputy head of the General Directorate of Vocational Training, said that employees should take the initiative in improving their skills, as robots and artificial intelligence could replace humans in some jobs in 10 or 15 years. 

At a ceremony honouring the 60 young workers held last Saturday (May 13) in HCM City, Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình said that employees should improve their skills in order to quickly adapt and master new technologies in production.

Bình said the country needed highly skilled workers to meet the demands of industrialisation.

Besides efforts from employees, employers and Government agencies as well as organisations have been encouraged to offer more training to their employees, he said.

Role of enterprises, organisations

Mai Đức Chính, deputy chairman of the Việt Nam General Confederation of Labour, said the trade union had encouraged employers to organise short-term training courses for workers every year.

Auto manufacturers and companies in textiles and garments as well as rubber have trained their workers to compete in skills competitions in the country and elsewhere in Asia, Chính said.

At HCM City export processing zones and industrial parks, the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union has launched many courses to teach professional skills, including time management, computer skills, and foreign languages.

In July, the union will open an office in each export processing zone and industrial park in the city to help workers access these courses, a union representative said.

However, teachers and funds for Japanese language programmes are limited, the representative said, adding that authorities should have preferential policies.

Vũ Ninh, member of the board at the Gemadept Corp, a leading enterprise in shipping, port operations and logistics in Việt Nam, said that training after recruitment was unavoidable as students only learn basic knowledge at vocational training schools and university

Gemadept Corp has a board in charge of training. After recruitment, employees are given further training in how to work effectively and reduce the number of accidents at goods terminals at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport.

Võ Thị Phương Lan, general director of the Amerasian Shipping Logistics Corporation, said that companies were paying more attention to training their employees.

As the member in charge of training employees of enterprises of the Việt Nam Logistics Business Association, Lan said that many courses were organised frequently to help employees of logistic enterprises learn how to solve problems in international transportation.  —VNS