Addressing a national forum on vocational training for young people on March 30 in Hanoi, Nguyen Anh Tuan, first secretary of the Vietnam Communist Youth Union, pointed out several of the challenges faced by the youth in the context of increasingly fierce competition in the job market.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and the Industry 4.0 revolution are considered major challenges for the global labour market as they have both disrupted the young labour market and accelerated job transition and vocational training to adapt to structural changes of the global economy,” said Tuan.
He quoted the World Economic Forum (WEF), stating that by 2025 approximately 85 million jobs would be lost globally, whilst 97 million new jobs would also be created. To meet the requirements in the new context, approximately 50% of workers require retraining and advanced training so they can gain relevant skills.
Vietnam is a country that boasts a young population, with the number of people of working age accounting for nearly 60% of the entire population, in which the youth force plays a pivotal role.
“We always believe that under any circumstances young people will promote optimism and actively change their mindset and working methods to turn challenges into opportunities,” said the Youth Union leader.
He therefore called on policymakers to assess and clarify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Industry 4.0 on vocational training and future employment for young people in order to devise viable policies for young people, which increasingly meets the requirements of present-day reality.
Taking the floor, Nguyen Dac Vinh, chairman of the National Assembly Committee for Culture and Education, stated that vocational training for young people should be considered an important pillar of the whole education-training system that requires a synchronous and effective approach for human resource training across all levels.
“There is incoherence in the orientation of vocational training and career counseling, since the training system does not match the actual human needs for socio-economic development, that is mirrored in the training structure, unemployment status and human resource structure,” said Vinh.
According to the NA official, the immediate challenge is to ensure the supply of human resources for socio-economic recovery, particularly whilst the COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to have a strong impact and will not end soon.
It can therefore be viewed as imperative for Vietnam to find strategic, long-term, and fundamental solutions for training whilst making use of its human resources, especially high-quality human resources, over the next five, 10, and 20 years to create a key driving force for the country’s rapid development, he stressed.
Recommendations at the forum will be sent to the National Assembly, the Government, and relevant ministries for consideration.
The forum was co-organised by the National Assembly Committee for Culture and Education, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the National Committee on Youth of Vietnam.
