Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat has stressed the need to change the way in which vocational training is provided for rural labourers so that it can better meet their demands.

Localities should consider this matter thoroughly and introduce a more sustainable training process, said the minister.

According to a project on vocational training for rural labourers by 2020, about 1.6 million farmers will receive agricultural vocational training in the 2011-2015 period and 1.4 million others in the following five years.

Nguyen Minh Nhan, head of the ministry’s Personnel Department, said around 20,000 rural people were provided with vocational training between 2011 and 2013.

However, rural labourers still need regular updates on technological advances in production processes in order to increase productivity and efficiency, he said.

Acknowledging certain limitations in the current vocational training programmes available for farmers, Minister Phat noted that the work has failed to link sufficiently with national agricultural restructuring and new-style rural building programmes, and failed to connect with businesses to create an effective production chain for graduates to exploit.

Vocational training must derive from the real needs of farmers, rather than outdated theoretical models, he stated.

Phat emphasised the need to organise on-the-spot and short training courses for rural labourers, as most of them are household owners directly involved in production, meaning that they cannot spare too much time away from their farms.

There must be suitable training methods taught by staff with rich experience in agricultural production, he added.-VNA