To help vocational colleges grasp the knowledge and skills needed to improve the accessibility of people with disabilities in vocational training activities, on July 18 and 19, 2023 in Hue city, the Viet Nam-Germany Cooperation Programme “Reform of TVET in Viet Nam” (TVET Programme) in collaboration with the Action to the Community Development Center (ACDC) organised the workshop “Development of Inclusion Plan for Partner TVET Institutes”. Participants of the workshop were Inclusion focal points from TVET’s partner institutes.

During the 2-day workshop, participants learned about models and approaches to disability: from charity, medical, social, to human rights. From this knowledge, participants could understand the need for an inclusive strategy in which people with disabilities are recognised for their potential and contribution to society instead of their disability. Participants also visited Hue Industrial College to have a concrete visualisation of physical as well as intangible accessibility in a training environment. Barriers to access could come from awareness, attitudes, policies, facilities, or communications. With guided assessment tools, teams of participants examined their institutes’ accessibility and planned an inclusion strategy to overcome current accessibility limitations. After the workshop ended, schools would continue to receive support to finalise their institutes’ inclusion plan. Along with the support of the TVET programme at partner institutes such as scholarships for people with disabilities, awareness-raising communication, and training on inclusion for lecturers, the inclusion strategy will provide vocational colleges with detailed orientation to gradually remove barriers and create opportunities for people with disabilities to participate equally in Vocational Education and Training. 

The activity is carried out within the framework of the Viet Nam-Germany Cooperation Programme “Reform of Technical and Vocational Training and Education 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) together with the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA).