The lack of skilled workers is a big challenge to enterprises globally, including Vietnam.

Going to a vocational school was long deemed an unthinkable idea for many Vietnamese parents that wanted their kids to go to university, but now, young adults are standing up to defy the old-fashioned notion.

Vocational schools complain they are finding it difficult to enroll learners despite attractive job opportunities.

Many university graduates admit that they have had take jobs as workers at factories.v

The Vietnamese Government has issued a series of conditions required to set up a foreign-invested vocational training institution in Vietnam, expected to take effect from March 20.

VietNamNet Bridge - Only 10 percent of secondary school graduates go to vocational intermediate schools (2-year training), far below the 30 percent target.

Vocational schools all have reported an increasing number of enrollees in recent years. Unemployed university graduates are also going to vocational school.

The tourism and hotel industry is experiencing golden days with a boom in the number of foreign and domestic travelers, while the demand for workers meeting international standards is increasing rapidly.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Some investors in HCM City who have failed to deliver on project commitments have left their land plots empty for many years.

 VietNamNet Bridge – When Nguyen Quoc Huy was small, he loved wandering around the scrap pile, searching for the materials he needed for his self-made miniature machines.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Located 30km from Hanoi, Bac Ninh Province is renowned not only for its melodious quan ho (love duet) singing, but also for another romantic local hobby: raising homing pigeons.

VietNamNet Bridge - Many more students, aware of market demand and the unemployment rate among graduates, are choosing to attend vocational school instead of university. 

VietNamNet Bridge - To be sure that their products can satisfy employers’ requirements, schools have decided to join forces with businesses to train students.

While many universities complain they cannot find enough students, some vocational schools have unexpectedly filled enrollment, though they set relatively high exam score requirements.  

VietNamNet Bridge - At the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), one teacher guides up to 44 PhD students and one PhD is produced every 1.76 days.

Vietnam needs to develop a qualified labor force that can meet the requirements of  industrialization and reduce the number of guest workers abroad, according to experts. 

VietNamNet Bridge - The rat race for prestigious secondary schools has begun, even though the 2016-2017 academic year finished only days ago.

VietNamNet Bridge - The decision to shorten training periods has been applauded by university leaders, who say it is in line with international practice.

VietNamNet Bridge - Low enrollment for many years has forced many vocational schools to stop operation.