Occupational Standards developed with the industry are the backbone of demand-driven cooperative vocational training! Within the Programme Reform of TVET in Viet Nam, implemented by GIZ, the Vietnamese partners are being supported in the improvement of the quality and practice-orientation of training programmes in four occupational fields which are relevant for the growth sectors of the Vietnamese economy. In a first step, occupational standards are being developed, based on the German standards and adjusted to the reality in Vietnam.

The newly developed occupational standards for “Construction Mechanics Technician” and “Industrial Electronics Technician” were finalized during a workshop on Thursday 23 June and Friday 24 June 2016 at LILAMA 2 Technical & Technology College (LILAMA 2).

Following the principles of cooperative training, the relevant stakeholders were actively present: responsible delegates of the General Directorate of Vocational Training (GDVT), the Ministries of Construction (MoC) and Industry & Trade (MoIT), the Vietnam Associations of Mechanical Industry (VAMI) and Automation (VAA) as well as representatives of relevant companies and industrial zones of the provinces Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

The occupational standards have been developed based on German standards and adjusted to the needs of the Vietnamese industry. They were communicated in several rounds with experts of more than 25 companies and associations, and finally adjusted to match the German standards by experts of the Chamber of Trades (HWK) in Potsdam, a competent German body for cooperative vocational training. The described duties and task of the occupational standard serve as the basis for developing a cooperative vocational training programme, which will be piloted in close cooperation at the involved companies and LILAMA 2.

It became apparent to all participants that involving companies with their technical experts as much as possible during the development process proved as essential to meet the exact needs of the Vietnamese labour market for a highly qualified work force. Most importantly, the management and technical experts of all companies recognized that an enhancement of their productivity can only be realized by taking over a more active role in the development and implementation of vocational training programmes. Only with a stable and highly qualified workforce, they will be able to increase their competitiveness on the national and international markets.

At the workshop, a first draft of the two cooperative training programmes was presented by the experts of the Chamber of Trades Potsdam. The draft training programmes indicate clearly the roles and responsibility of the companies and the TVET institute.  The practical parts should mainly take place in the companies’ workshops with on-the-job training.  LILAMA 2 will cover a double-function: on one hand the necessary theoretical content will be taught to the trainees and on the other hand necessary occupation-related practical skills will be trained at the newly equipped workshops of LILAMA2.

The further development of the draft cooperative training programme does indicate the next important step towards the establishment and successful implementation of cooperative vocational training together with committed companies and LILAMA 2 as the piloting institute.