On 12 April 2016, the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association (VWSA) and the Programme Reform of TVET in Viet Nam (GIZ) jointly organised a workshop in order to share the result of a newly conducted assessment of demand for short-term trainings for technical workers in the wastewater sector.

In recent years, the Vietnamese Government has executed many large-scale investment projects for the construction of wastewater treatment plants and sewerage systems in order to improve the living quality of the people. One of the factors ensuring the sustainable effectiveness of these infrastructure investments is the development of a qualified technical workforce. ‘Without a well-trained technical workforce, it is impossible to operate and maintain a wastewater treatment plant safely and efficiently’, Mr Le Van Gon, Deputy General Director of Binh Duong Water Supply, Sewerage – Environment Company stated strongly about the essential role of the technical workers in during his presentation at the workshop.

Against this background, from January 2016 to March 2016, representatives of VWSA with support of the Field of Activity 3: ‘Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for Skilled Workers in the Wastewater Sector’ (GIZ) and the Sewage Company Dresden (Stadtentwässerung Dresden), Germany jointly carried out an assessment of companies’ training needs for technical workers. Opinions of water supply and sewage companies all over Viet Nam were compiled from a questionnaire and direct interviews. The result showed that 90 percent of companies see advanced training for their technical workforce as a long-term strategic investment. They are willing to support their employees in terms of costs and time. In the workshop, representatives of attending companies once again expressed their wish for short-term trainings and committed to cooperate with other companies, who also have demand on training activities, to organise short-term courses for technical workers in the wastewater treatment sector.

Besides, 97 percent of companies agreed in the questionnaire that VWSA should continue to be the main institution responsible for organising and supplying high quality trainings as well as certifying the participants of such courses.

 ‘We are very impressed with the training programmes, which have been developed and implemented with the support of the German Government through GIZ. And we highly appreciate all your support and expertise. Our company has a high demand for qualified technical workers; we are ready to invest in our employees and send them to further trainings, Mr Nguyen Minh Tuan, General Director, Hai Phong Sewerage and Drainage Limited Company, shared in the discussion round.

Dr Nguyen Thi Hang, Rector of the Ho Chi Minh Vocational College of Technology, who is already successfully cooperating with VSWA and companies in the wastewater sector to implement an initial cooperative training programme at the college and the partner enterprises also shared her experience and encouraged the companies to take part in short-term trainings as a resolution for the shortage of skilled technical workers, that the companies are facing now.

Feedback and suggestions of companies shared in the workshop were well noted by representatives of relevant parties like the Ministry of Construction, VWSA, and the project ‘TVET for Skilled Workers in the Wastewater Sector’ (GIZ) for further processing. Also, representatives of international organisations from Japan (JICA) and Finland showed their interest in the solutions discussed during the workshop.