Honeydew melons planted with advanced farming techniques in Tiền Giang Province’s Gò Công Tây District. The province has provided vocational training to help workers find jobs and become more productive. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Hưng

TIỀN GIANG — The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tiền Giang has stepped up measures to create jobs for 16,000 labourers and send 300 people to work overseas this year, according to the province’s Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

The province aims to reduce the unemployment rate in urban areas to less than 4 per cent this year, down 0.5 per cent against last year.

To provide jobs for labourers, the province will provide soft loans to help create jobs and encourage labourers to participate in the province’s overseas work programmes.

The province will also introduce jobs to labourers via its Job Introduction Centre and vocational skill training centres.

It will provide vocational skills for labourers based on the requirements of companies so they can find jobs after participating in training courses.

Job introduction activities will be organised at vocational skills training centres for graduates.

The province provided jobs for 9,000 labourers last year, down 55 per cent against 2019 because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It sent 287 labourers to work overseas last year.

Under its plan to provide vocational skills for rural labourers, more than 43,422 labourers in the past 10 years have received training, according to the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

About 80 – 85 per cent of the 43,422 labourers found new jobs, or continued their existing jobs but achieved higher productivity.

The province’s Farmer Support and Vocational Skills Training Centre and farmers associations at all levels have also organised vocational training courses for farmers. 

Farmer Nguyễn Văn Tây participated in a training course on growing rice as well as a course on growing flowers and ornamental plants in Mỹ Hòa Hamlet in Tân Phước District’s Phước Lập Commune. He achieved higher production efficiency after applying what he learned.

Previously, he and other farmers in the hamlet had used traditional farming methods, so the production efficiency was not high.

The training course helped him create ornamental plants with beautiful shapes and sizes, and expand plant cultivation, he said.

He now grows 2.5ha of rice and 3ha of ornamental plants, he said.

“My family’s income is stable,” he said. — VNS