“Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is one of the key priorities to achieve green growth in Viet Nam”, said Dr Truong Anh Dung, Deputy director of the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training (DVET) at the launching of the initiative “Greening TVET – environmental protection in TVET institutes in Ho Chi Minh City”. The event took place on 27 June 2018 at the Ho-Chi-Minh Vocational College of Technology (HVCT). Jointly organised by the Ho Chi Minh Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (DoLISA) and the Programme Reform of TVET in Viet Nam, the event attracted more than 50 representatives from local authorities, TVET institutes and business partners from Ho Chi Minh City to attend.

During the roundtable session, participants lively discussed various aspects relating to “Greening TVET” in Viet Nam, including the roles of TVET institutes in greening TVET, challenges to greening TVET, lessons learnt and solutions to “Greening TVET” in Viet Nam. According to Dr Truong Anh Dung, the TVET system should integrate green TVET training offers. This directly serves the green economy by integrating green skills and mindset into training delivery, e. g. environmental protection, resource efficiency, and occupational health and safety. Furthermore, TVET institutes should include green elements in daily practical activities through greening workshops and establishing green campuses. The “Sewage Engineering Technicians” training programme, piloted at HVCT in collaboration with six wastewater companies is an example of a green training programme that directly serves the green economy and applies green elements in its training delivery.

Mr Huynh Van Ti, senior advisor of the Ministry of Labour Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), added that “Greening TVET” is still a new concept in Viet Nam. Therefore, this topic should be integrated in all TVET activities to raise public awareness and TVET stakeholders should be actively involved in “Greening TVET” and environmental protection in general.

The rapid growth of Viet Nam’s economy shapes the needs and demands for quality education and training. TVET plays a key role in building a skilled, capable and competent workforce for the Vietnamese industry. The Vietnamese TVET system needs to take “Greening TVET” into account while reforming, to supply the skilled workforce fulfilling the requirements for a green and sustainable economy in Viet Nam.

The activity is held within the component “TVET for a Skilled Workforce in Wastewater Sector” as part 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 Technische Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) together with the MoLISA.