Vietnam, UK to hold skills training conference
A high level conference on global changes and solutions to develop Vietnam’s skills strategy will be held in Hanoi on March 7 within the framework of the partnership between the UK and Vietnam’s Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, the British Embassy in Hanoi announced.
The conference will focus on global trends in vocational education and the challenges being faced by Vietnam and other developing countries. How Vietnam can seize the opportunities to continue to develop successfully towards 2020 and beyond will also be discussed.
To be opened by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam and Lord Puttnam, the UK’s Trade and Cultural Envoy to Vietnam, the conference is expected to hear from officials of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, British education experts, consultants from PricewaterhouseCoopers, key policy makers, senior businesspeople, and representatives from education and vocational training institutions.
In its announcement the British Embassy Hanoi said that the world is rapidly changing. “By 2030 we will need 50 per cent more energy, 40 per cent more water, and 35 per cent more food. The global population is ageing rapidly and more people than ever are living in cities.”
Vietnam is entering a new era of international integration given the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community and new free trade agreements, such as the TPP and the EU – Vietnam FTA. “Having the right skills will mean that Vietnam is best placed to adapt to and benefit from these developments and be an attractive place for firms from all countries to invest,” according to the announcement.
With improvements to education and vocational training being a key strategic objective of the government’s ten-year socioeconomic development strategy for 2011 to 2020, there is a consensus that improving the quality of the workforce will be critical to continuing Vietnam’s economic modernization and sustainable development.
The conference will be followed by a British Council sponsored event on March 8 – the second in a series of national seminars held in support of partnerships between UK and Vietnamese colleges to establish quality assurance tools and mechanisms at vocational training colleges in Vietnam under the British Council’s International Skills Partnership.