VietNamNet Bridge - While many university trainees refuse to return to Da Nang after finishing courses overseas, others have returned as promised, but then expect to leave again.

Under Project 922 initiated by the Da Nang authorities 10 years ago, excellent researchers and university lecturers are sent to overseas training courses with city funding before returning to work in the city.

According to CPHUD (Danang Center for Promotion of Human Resources Development), 52 professionals have quit the project, and 40 violated the contracts and had to pay back the training cost to the city authorities. Meanwhile, 433 trainees have completed training courses and received jobs at  agencies belonging to the Da Nang City People’s Committee.

Most of the professionals quickly adapted to new jobs and fulfilled their tasks, while more than 200 have been appointed to high posts in the city’s government.

The Da Nang City People’s Committee has organized a ceremony to hand over the decision on assigning work to 21 professionals of Project 922. 

Dang Viet Dung, Vice Mayor of Da Nang, promised that local authorities will create best conditions for talented professionals to work and devote themselves to the city’s development.

He reassured the professionals that as the city will send them to training courses, it will take the responsibility of helping the professionals work in favorable conditions.

He added that the city needs a contribution by talented professionals, so he requested agencies to welcome new professionals and help them fulfill their tasks.

While many university trainees refuse to return to Da Nang after finishing courses overseas, others have returned as promised, but then expect to leave again.

However, the promises by city leaders did not help.

A report of CPHUD released at a workshop held in late October showed that 64.6 percent of Project 922’s trainees said the jobs given to them do not fit their training majors and strengths.

Many of them complained that they cannot adapt to the working environment at state agencies and that the heads of the agencies are not open and attentive. Meanwhile, 12.5 percent of trainees said they won’t continue working for the city because of a bad working environment, unattractive pay and unclear job promotion opportunities.

“We will work for the city until the contract between us terminates and then we will leave,” a trainee said. 

“Many businesses, including foreign ones, offer us salaries 3-4 times higher than that we receive now,” he said.

Phan Thi Thu Trang, who now works for the city’s Biotechnology Center, said that she cannot apply the knowledge she received from the training course because of the lack of materials and equipment.

Trang, who studied molecular biotechnology, has returned from the UK.


Mai Chi