The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) confirmed that it would comply with any government decision to transfer the management of the vocational training system to the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET).

Deputy Minister Dao Thi Hong Lan told a press conference on June 16 that the decision “is up to the government” and MoLISA “would comply.”

“The government will make a decision once it identifies which agency could manage the vocational training system better,” Ms. Lan said.

Her statement was the latest response from MoLISA on a proposal from MoET to transfer the management of Vietnam’s vocational training system from MoLISA to MoET.

In an interview with VET on June 16, Mr. Hoang Ngoc Vinh, the Director of MoET’s Professional Education Department, said that the current mechanism for managing the vocational training system in the country has exhibited overlaps during the last 20 years.

The State and the people have invested a large amount of money to develop vocational and national education system management from pre-school to college, he said, including vocational secondary colleges managed by MoLISA.

“This leads to difficulties in enrollments at vocational schools and a lack of overall planning in development and uniformity,” he said.

The parallel management between the two agencies creates inefficiencies and the need for quality human resources has not been met, which hinders global integration and runs counter to the policy of the Party and the government.

“Strong change is needed in the management of vocational education to overcome the limitations and challenges,” Mr. Vinh recommended.

Ms. Lan told the press conference that MoLISA has rich experience in the field with more than 42 years of management over vocational training, while the sector was only under MoET’s management for eleven years.

Mr. Vinh still believes that once management is transferred to MoET it will limit the shortcomings mentioned often by National Assembly (NA) delegates.

“The country’s education system will be improved,” he said.

It is expected the government will consider the transferal after July 20, when the new NA gathers for its first session and a new government structure is set up afterwards.

Vietnam had 1,465 vocational training units, of which 189 are colleges, 279 secondary schools and 997 centers, as at the end of April, according to the latest MoLISA report.

New enrollments stood at 282,000 during the January-April period.

Vietnam’s unemployment rate fell to 2.23 per cent in the first quarter of 2016, according to MoLISA.