Review the labour code to facilitate the engagement of the business sector in Vocational Education and Training

“Cooperation and participation of employers in TVET is a breakthrough solution to reform and improve the workforce quality in the context of international integration and Industry 4.0” said Dr. Truong Anh Dung, General Deputy Director of the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training (DVET) at the Dialogue on “Provisions of the Labour Code regarding industry engagement in vocational training and education (VET)”. The event was jointly organised by DVET, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Ho Chi Minh city branch and the Vietnamese-German “Programme Reform of TVET in Viet Nam” in Ho Chi Minh city on 19 April 2019.

“Efforts of DVET, relevant stakeholders and development partners in promoting the participation of the business sector in TVET have facilitated considerable achievements. Nevertheless, in order for enterprises to participate effectively, meaningfully and widely in TVET, systematic changes in the legal framework are required” emphasised Mr. Vo Tan Thanh, VCCI Vice President cum Director of VCCI Ho Chi Minh city branch.

The dialogue offered an opportunity to nearly forty members of companies and associations of VCCI Ho Chi Minh city,  from the electro-mechanic, logistics, garments and footwear sectors and TVET institutes from Ho Chi Minh city and Dong Nai to share experiences and challenges concerning the cooperation of the business sector in TVET.

While chapter 4 of the Labour Code on Vocational Education Training and Occupational Skills Development Labour Code provides a basis for the business sector to engage in TVET as training provider or on the basis of internships, it does not envisage a close cooperation between TVET institutes and industries in form of cooperative training with regulated training phases.

Participants highlighted the obstacles in the labour code for the application of the cooperative training mode. Valuing cooperative training model as a solution to the mismatch between the supply and demand side in the labour market, they  pointed out the need and recommendations to facilitate the engagement of the business sector in VET activities: First, participants highlighted that companies need to be entitled by the Labour code to cooperate with TVET institutes in TVET training at elementary, intermediate and college levels. Second, it was emphasized that the status and minimum competency requirement for in-company trainers should be defined. Third, it was highly recommended to create tri-partite cooperation mechanisms between State management agencies, TVET institutes and the business sector to link TVET with the labour market and sustainable employment.

DVET and the representative of the MoLISA legal department highly appreciated the recommendations from the participants and confirmed their consolidation for further discussions. The valuable inputs will be positively considered for the amendment of the Labour Code to strengthen the cooperation between the business sector and TVET institutes, towards a quality VET system that boosts employment and meets the demand of the industry.

This event took place within the framework of the tri-partite MOU between DVET-VCCI Ho Chi Minh city and GIZ signed in April 2018 regarding cooperation with the business sector. This is an activity of the Vietnamese-German Programme “Reform of TVET in Viet Nam”. The programme is financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in cooperation with the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA).