VietNamNet Bridge – Many vocational training schools are failing to attract enough new students, despite promotional campaigns.

Students learn how to sew at a vocational training centre in HCM City's District 9. Vocational training schools in the city are facing a decline in enrolment.

For example, the Sai Gon Economics and Technical Vocational Training School in Go Vap District provides vocational training courses every two months. It offers discounts to students on tuition if they register early.

At Dong Duong Vocational Training School in District 3, students receive a 25 per cent reduction on tuition if they pay in full when they register.

If students live in District 3 they are entitled to a 30 per cent discount at the Nhan Dao Vocational Training School. If they apply for other short-courses, they will receive more discounts.

At Quang Trung Vocational Training School, students can upgrade their professional skills, especially those who are working. Training courses are organised at weekends.

However, students often wait for the result of university and college entrance examinations and only when they do not pass then they may enrol in vocational schools.

In addition, many students prefer to attend a vocational training centre located at a university, which gives them more opportunities to upgrade their education.

Other students enroll at vocational schools only to wait until they sit again for university entrance exams.

Thus, many students leave vocational schools during the middle of the term.

To cope with the situation, vocational schools have opened many short training courses to take advantage of teachers and facilities.

At Dong Duong school, three special short courses on cooking, baby-sitting and kindergarten management have attracted many students as these jobs are in demand.

The Mai Linh Vocational Training School in Phu Nhuan District has opened several courses that are in demand, including training in IT skills, bartending and preparation for English tests like the TOEIC and IELTS.

Duong Duc Lan, director of the General Department of Vocational Training told Tin Tuc (News) that vocational schools that only about 200,000 chose to attend them each year for the past two years.

He predicted that, this year, vocational schools would face more difficulty as regulations on minimum scores would be dropped.

This meant many colleges, mostly private, would be able to recruit more students, including those who perform poorly at entrance exams.

Lan said vocational training was generally the second option for students after they failed to get a university place.

Viet Nam will build 40 high-quality vocational schools that measure up to ASEAN standards. The work will be completed by 2020.

Source: VNS