HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Enterprisesare not interested in collaboration with vocational training establishments totrain students or update their internal training programmes because thelaws are not clear about their role and responsibilities, accordingto Vo Tan Thanh, Director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce andIndustry’s HCM City Branch.

Thanh was speaking at a recent dialogueorganised by the VCCI’s HCM City Branch in collaboration with the Ministry ofLabour, Invalids and Social Affairs' Directorate of VocationalEducation and Training (DVET) and the German DevelopmentCooperation Agency (GIZ) to discuss provisions of the 2012 Labour Codepertaining to businesses engaged in vocational training andeducation (VET).

A shortage of experts, failure of educationalfacilities and equipment to meet demand and old trainingcurriculums are obstacles to the engagement of business in vocationaltraining and education, Thanh said.

The number of workers trained by enterprises whowork for more than a year for them subsequently has decreased sharply,said Bui Thi Ninh, Director of the VCCI’s Bureau for Employers’Activities, HCM City Branch.

According to a survey by the VCCI, this rate was70.3 percent in 2012 and only 63 percent in 2018.

There are no regulations governing on-the-jobtraining in terms of trainers, standards, certificates, working relations, andlabour contracts.

“There are no specific guidelines or regulationsfor apprenticeships and on-the-job training contracts in terms of the rightsand obligations of each party, contract terms and validity,” Ninh said.

The Labour Code only regulates the role ofenterprises in establishing vocational training institutes or organisingtraining for their employees, but ignores many other aspects, she said.

Britta Van Erckelens of GIZ Vietnam said cooperationwith the business sector is necessary to develop a sound and coherentdemand-oriented technical and vocational education and training (TVET) systemthat provides an adequately skilled workforce for a green economy in theindustry 4.0 era.

“Only the business sector can define theknowledge, skills and competencies needed and certify the quality of the training,”she said.

Important aspects and concepts concerningco-operation with the business sector in TVET have entered the legal frameworksince a new TVET law was enacted at the end of 2014, she said.

These aspects should be further defined andsynchronised with provisions in the Labour Code, she said.

A mechanism that institutionalises the cooperationwith the business sector should be jointly developed to suit Vietnameseconditions, she said.

“Those mechanisms, besides co-operativelyimplemented training, could and should include stakeholder boards, such asindustrial advisory boards at the institutional level or sector councils at thesectoral level.”

She strongly encouraged joint efforts in thisregard between DVET and the business sector, TVET institutions andprovincial governments, saying only a joint approach would lead tocomprehensive and sound results.

Ninh said to strengthen the connection betweenindustry and vocational training, there should be alignment between laws,regulations and other legal documents.

“It is necessary to clearly define the roles andresponsibilities of each party involved, including enterprises, VET providers,students, and workers.”

Each vocational training activity thatenterprises can participate in must be governed by regulations onimplementation mechanisms, she said.

Mai Duc Thien, deputy director of theministry’s legal department, said: “It is necessary to amend the LabourCode because its enforcement has faced several problems and shortcomingsthat need to be addressed.”

Since 2016 the amendment of the LabourCode has gone through three stages: drafting supplements since 2016,making proposals for a complete amendment from 2017 and drafting the amendedLabour Code until now.

Amendments related to vocational education areexpected to facilitate and provide opportunities for employees to get trainingand improve their occupational skills.

These will encourage enterprises to organisetraining for their employees, including those who do not have labour contracts.

“Amending is sure to meet the needs of globaleconomic integration and improve the effectiveness of Government management andfeasibility in practice,” Thien said.

The draft will be submitted to the NationalAssembly for consideration next month.

The department plans to incorporate feedback andrevise the draft before submission to the National Assembly.-VNS/VNA