VNAT vice chairman Ha Van Sieu and Australian Senior Trade Commissioner Yvonne Chan meet to strengthen co-operation this month. (Source: Photo courtesy of VNAT )Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Australian andVietnamese training institutions will build innovative partnerships to empowerprofessional human resources for the tourism industry.
Accordingly, the Vietnam-Australia Tourism andHospitality Education and Training Showcase took place in Hanoi and Ho Chi MinhCity on April 3-4 with the participation of Australian and Vietnameseinstitutions and business organisations.
They exchanged expertise and committed to cooperatein training and sharing experiences.
The Australian Trade and Investment Commission(Austrade) brought nine leading Australian institutions in tourism andhospitality to Vietnam for the programme.
The initiative combined a series of activities,including governmental meetings to foster the bilateral relationship between thetwo countries, a panel discussion for both Vietnamese and Australianorganisations to exchange expertise and explore partnerships, a showcase andone-on-one business matching sessions.
“Australia is proud to share with Vietnam ourworld-class expertise and excellence in education and training of high-qualityhuman resources in tourism and hospitality for the fast but sustainable growthof Vietnam’s tourism,” said Yvonne Chan, Australian Senior Trade Commissioner.
According to the UN World Tourism Organisation(UNWTO), in 2017, Vietnam ranked in the world’s top 20 fastest growing traveldestinations. By 2025, the industry aims to contribute 10 percent of GDP andgenerate income for 6 million people.
To reach this target, according to the VietnamNational Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the tourism sector needs nearly40,000 more labourers every year, particularly skilled workers and qualifiedprofessionals.
Addressing the programme, Dao Manh Hung, Chairmanof the Vietnam Tourism Education Association (VITEA), emphasisedthe important role of developing human resources for tourism.
“Through the cooperation, I expect thatVietnamese universities and colleges will have a chance to work with Australiantraining institutions and gain more experience,” he said.
Tourism and hospitality is already a leadingcontributor to the Australian economy. Australia’s travel and tourism industryranks seventh for its competitiveness in the World Economic Forum’s Travel andTourism Competitiveness Index and seventh globally for tourism receipts in2017, according to Chan.
“Australia benefits from its natural assets,attractive tourism products and unique experiences, however, one of the mainfactors of its success is that it employs world leading expertise across the entiretourism supply chain, particularly in training and education. This isexemplified by its highly respected vocational system and qualifications.”
Australia is home to ten of the top 50universities specialising in Hospitality and Tourism Management in the AcademicRanking of World Universities in 2018.
“Australia’s education and training providershave significant expertise in equipping employees with the skills and knowledgeto service customers that are increasingly global and becoming more discerning.This is important because a better trained workforce will deliver greatercustomer satisfaction, higher spend and most importantly repeat visits,” saidChan.
Austrade also introduced a Tourism Education andTraining Industry Capability Report to highlight Australian expertise andpractical examples of Australian know-how in delivering tourism training andeducation to the world.-VNS/VNA
VNA
