New Zealand Ambassador to Việt Nam Wendy Matthews (left, first row) and Trương Anh Dũng, general director of the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training (right, first row) sign the cooperation agreement. — VNS Photo Thu Trang

HÀ NỘI — An agreement on enhancing cooperation in the field of vocational education and training and skills development was signed on Monday in Hà Nội.

The agreement was signed between New Zealand Ambassador to Việt Nam Wendy Matthews and Trương Anh Dũng, general director of the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

It is a framework for sharing best practices in vocational training policy, qualification frameworks and industry engagement.  

Under the agreement, New Zealand’s Government to Government Know-How (G2G) will contribute to Việt Nam workforce improvement effort by facilitating partnerships between New Zealand’s government agencies, vocational institutions and research institutes with the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training as well as other relevant agencies and institutions in Việt Nam. 

Ambassador Wendy Matthews said: “New Zealand’s Qualification Framework, established in 1992, was one of the first comprehensive qualifications frameworks in the world.”

“We continue to ensure that the system incorporates improvements and innovations into order to make sure that our vocational training and qualification systems best respond to the needs of our evolving industries,” she said.

“Our high-quality education system and expertise in vocational training make us well placed to deliver more joint initiatives focused on improving the quality of Việt Nam’s vocational education system, so as to increase the competitiveness and productivity of the country’s workforce to meet global demands,” said Ambassador Wendy Matthews. 

General director Trương Anh Dũng, said: “Việt Nam’s vocational education and training system has seen positive achievements over the last few years. General public and businesses’ perception on the importance of vocational training has been improved.”

There were more people choosing to study at vocational institutions, while graduates had higher chances of getting work job and a stable income.

“In the context of the digital economy, the knowledge-led economy, the 4th Industrial Revolution and international labour mobility trend, vocational training needs to speed up its renovation to improve training quality in order to meet the increasingly high demand for labour,” he said.

The year 2020 is an important year for New Zealand and Việt Nam as the countries celebrate 45 years of friendship and diplomatic relations. 

“People-to-people links, particularly in the area of education, have been the bedrock of the relationship, and these links will continue to flourish when safe travel between our countries resumes,” he said. — VNS