In June 2019, a two-week training course on “Safety of Electrical Installation and Equipment” was held at Ho Chi Minh Vocational College of Technology (HVCT) in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. This training was a practical continuation of a training that was conducted in February of the same year.

The training was aimed at TVET teachers and students, to enhance the on the job practical electrical skills in a unique, highly specified, but also regulated field of work – laboratory and wastewater workshop. The teachers were coached by Mr. Michael Stark and Ms. Rebekka Oelze, GIZ Development Advisors, how to prepare and conduct the training on “Electrical Installations in a Safe manner” for students. HVCT students were also involved in the practical part under the instruction of participating teachers.

Prior to the in-house training, an assessment of status quo was carried out at selected laboratories and workshops of the Environment and Labour Protection faculty, HVCT. The assessment aims to identify inappropriate electrical connections and equipment in the laboratories and workshops that causing unsafe for human and machines. During the training course, participants were instructed meticulously to apply specific electrical installation standards and experienced with demand-oriented practical tasks to solve the problems.

This training served two purposes: to ensure electrical safety and to gain hands on experience in this specific electrical fields of work. This training focussed on project-oriented method and specialist knowledge to address the repairs highlighted in the initial assessment report. The training proved to be highly successful as most points of the assessment report could be addressed and corrected.

After the completion the training, Mr. Nam, Dean of Environment and Labour protection, stated: “I found that the training course was very practical and improved facilities to meet our department’s training needs.”

Asked about their opinion on the finished training Mr. Michael Stark answered, “The practical skills and competencies of the trainees improved a lot. In addition, the electrical safety of the waste water laboratory and workshop is enhanced.”

This activity is held within the component “Support for Centres of Excellence for TVET” 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 Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) together with the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA).