HCM CITY — More than 100 vocational training establishments in HCM City got the chance to learn from British experts at a seminar held on Thursday in the city.

They learnt about training programmes, issuing professional certificates, end-point assessment, and quality assurance.

The event also served as a forum for the establishments to discuss and find innovative solutions and effective use of technology in education to support the teaching of English.

Đăng Minh Sự, deputy director of the city Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said: “English plays an important role in providing trainees and apprentices with an advantage in both the domestic and overseas labour markets after graduation.”

The city has 535 vocational training establishments, comprising 52 colleges, 63 middle schools, 65 centres, and 355 other facilities.

More than 80 per cent of their trainees meet the labour market’s needs and find a job after graduating from them, according to a recent report by the department.

However, most of them are not proficient in foreign languages, especially English, and so find it hard to get jobs with foreign businesses or work abroad.

Sự expected the workshop to help the vocational facilities improve the quality of their training and trainees, especially with respect to.

The department plans to provide further training to teachers at vocational schools to improve their quality of English teaching.

It also hopes to ensure at least 80 per cent of English teachers in the city achieve 7.0 points in the IELTS test in 2019-20, and 100 per cent of them understand foreign experts by 2020.

Besides, it wants to improve English training programmes, provide all necessary tools and equipment for teaching English and strengthen international co-operation.

The British prime minister’s trade envoy to Việt Nam, Edward Vaizey, told the event the UK is proud of the high quality of vocational training.

“I believe the collaboration between the two countries will develop sustainably and help equip apprentices, workers and businesses with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the global market in the 21st century.”

The seminar, titled “UK-Việt Nam technical and vocational education and training (TVET): Towards a quality assured skills system” was organised by the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) and the city’s labour department. — VNS