Vietnam: Immer mehr High School-Absolventen wählen Berufsausbildung
High school grads shun university, choose vocational jobs as demand rises
Despite receiving high scores on the universitiy entrance exam this year, Nguyễn Đình Tuấn decided to choose a more practical career by studying
automobile engineering at a vocational college.
A native from the
central province of Quảng Ngãi, Tuấn enrolled in Cao Thắng Technical College in
HCM City, hoping to have a stable career soon after graduation.
He made
his decision based on careful study of the labour market and the availability of
jobs that are in high demand.
His parents, who supported his decision,
said that technical training would prepare him for a rewarding career after
graduation.
This year, around 600 high school students who could have
enrolled in university instead chose the automobile engineering technology
training programme, according to Lê Xuân Lâm, deputy rector of the college,
which is managed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The school's
enrollment exceeded its target of 3,000 students this year, with many of them
receiving scores above the minimum for the university entrance exam.
Automobile engineering technicians are in high demand, with monthly salaries
ranging from VNĐ (Viet Nam Dong) 7-8 million (US$ (United States Dollar)
315-360) for new graduates, according to Nguyễn Thời Trung, deputy head of the
programme.
This school year, enrollment also increased at Lilama 2
Technical & Technology College, thanks to modern facilities and dual
vocational training programmes that combine classes in vocational schools with
on-the-job training in companies.
"High school graduates have
opportunities to enhance their employability by demand-driven vocational
training and find a well-paid job after completing dual vocational training
programmes," said Nguyễn Khánh Cường, rector of the college, which is located in
Đồng Nai Province and is managed by the Ministry of Construction.
Every
year, around 30 companies hold a job fair to recruit new graduates, but discover
that most of the students have been hired by companies where they worked as
interns, according to Lê Tuyên Giáo, deputy head of the mechanics
faculty.
To fill the shortage of trained workers, many companies are
willing to pay tuition for excellent students to pursue the companies'
demand-driven vocational training.
Since 2013, Bosch, for instance, has
selected 25 high school graduates for a free three-year course taught in the
mechanics faculty.
Students learn theory at LILAMA 2 College and pursue
practical training on machines at the company's technical industrial
apprenticeship centre, which uses German vocational training standards.
After graduation, the trainees are awarded dual certificates as well as job
placements at Bosch.
High school graduates are aware that
occupation-related practical skills are not commonly offered at training
programmes at most universities.
Many firms in Đồng Nai Province and
neighbouring provinces such as Bình Dương and Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu are in dire need
of well-trained workers, but the labour market cannot meet their demand.
A recent vocational training survey conducted by GIC/AHK Vietnam found that
German companies in Việt Nam in the next few years will have high demand for
competent workers with vocational training and those with university
degrees.
Ninety-six per cent of the 26 polled companies said they needed
to hire new staff and train them in the next few years. And more than 33 per
cent of the companies said the labour market had failed to meet their need for
well-trained workers.
Nearly 80 per cent of companies would like to offer
internships next year, with 78 per cent of them willing to pay the interns,
according to the survey.
International-standard courses
Many vocational schools have invested in modern equipment and machinery,
which has allowed students to use the latest technologies.
Cao Thắng
Technical College, for example, has spent nearly VNĐ10 billion (US$448,430) to
purchase new machines.
"Students often have internships at companies
that are willing to employ them after graduation," said Lê Xuân Lâm, deputy
rector of the college.
Many foreign and local companies have signed
contracts with the college to train their staff.
LILAMA 2 is also well
equipped with new machinery and technology provided by Germany and
France.
The school's highly skilled teachers and trainers have extensive
knowledge about the tailored training programmes based on German
standards.
Điểu Quý, a junior in the mechanics faculty at LILAMA 2
College, said that he was trained in practical skills with the latest
technologies at the school's state-of-the-art training workshops.
"I
think training in mechanics offers good career prospects as demand for skilled
mechanics technicians remains unmet," Quý said.
The demand for skilled
workers is increasing steadily as the country's economy continues to grow and
integrates with the regional and world economy, according to Cường, the rector
of LILAMA 2.
Experts said that Việt Nam was facing a shortage of skilled
workers in many areas, leading to employment gaps that could not be filled
overnight.
The Government has put vocational skills training at the
heart of its development goals.
Its plan is that by 2020 trained skilled
workers will make up 55 per cent of the labour force, compared to the current
figure of nearly 30 per cent.
Challenges
According to a World Bank report, the quality of labour in Việt Nam received
only 3.79 points on a scale of 10, ranking 11th out of 12 Asian countries
surveyed.
South Korea's score was 6.91; India's 5.76; Malaysia's 5.59;
and Thailand's 4.94.
The low quality of labour was one of the main
reasons for weakened competitiveness of Việt Nam’s economy.
The gap
between training supply and market demand as well as inadequate education has
led to a high rate of unemployment among recent graduates.
In the second
quarter of this year, more than 1 million people of working age were unemployed,
an increase of 16,400 compared to the previous quarter, according to the
Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.
Of that figure, a total
of 286,100 people with bachelor's degrees and above were unable to find
jobs.
Only 20.6 per cent of the labour force has received vocational,
college or university training, while the majority are manual workers
Quelle: Viet Nam News – The National English Language Daily, vietnamnews.vn, 19.11.2016