The British Council held its annual international seminar on building international skills partnerships last week in Hanoi.

This was the first time that Vietnam hosted the Bringing the Learning Home seminar. It included 190 participants from 16 countries.

The International Skills Partnership Seminar was held alongside the 10th ASEAN Skills Competition in Hanoi, with participation of 300 contestants from ASEAN countries.

International partnerships fill the gaps between industry demands and current skills provision, and can help developing countries speed up procedures to reform curricula, programmes and skills development, a British Council press release said.

At the opening ceremony, Cherry Gough, country director of the British Council Vietnam, said: "This seminar brings together employers, educators and experts in international education, from a diverse range of countries including Egypt, the Philippines, Brunei and South Africa. They will have the opportunity to plan new, exciting international collaborations designed to improve the employment prospects of young people in vocational education and training in Vietnam, the UK and worldwide."

Dr Duong Duc Lan, head of the Vocational Training General Division at the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said: "The world economy is now facing an imbalance in supply and demand of skilled labour force. In Vietnam, this challenge is even clearer as the proportion of the young population and population of a working age continues to increase but has limited skills and labour productivity.

"Skills training and education, assessment and recognition are priority objectives in the national strategy for workforce, educational and vocational development towards 2020."

Bringing the Learning Home represented the biggest-ever International Skills Partnership global call.

The fund will open up opportunities with 14 new partners in China, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Libya, Myanmar, Pakistan, South Africa, Tunisia, Vietnam and Yemen.-VNA