To ensure quality, vocational schools must affiliate themselves withagencies like the Vietnam National University's Centre forEducation Accreditation, educational experts have said.
Speaking at a conference on ensuring quality at job training schoolsheld on March 28 by the Dai Viet Vocational School , Dr NguyenKim Dung, deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Education'sInstitute for Educational Research, said after accreditation, a schoolcarries out many changes to improve.
"I completelybelieve that accreditation will help schools become better and ensuretraining quality if they strictly adhere to accreditation norms," sheadded.
Dr Pham Xuan Thanh, deputy head of theMinistry of Education and Training's General Department for EducationalTesting and Accreditation, admitted that accreditation to ensure qualityhas not been a focus for professional schools.
Only 99 of the 294 such schools in the country have completed even thefirst step in the accreditation process, that of self-assessment, hesaid.
The self-assessment showed that training quality is low, he added.
Dung said the low training quality and failure of graduates to getjobs are causing a drop in the popularity of vocational schools.
But the schools themselves blamed the higher intake by universities and colleges each year.
According to the ministry's Professional Education Department, thenumber of applications to professional secondary schools nationwide hasbeen plunging. For instance, the number fell by almost a third to around180,000 last year.
Because of the difficulty inattracting candidates, three private schools in Da Nang closed downand some in Ho Chi Minh City were sold to new owners.
Dung said many professional schools seem to forget their main missionof training people to become a technicians or skilled worker in variousoccupations.
If they focus on ensuring their students master professional skills, "more and more learners … [will] apply".
Since learners' needs are varied, "vocational schools do not need toworry about getting candidates," she said, adding that many graduatesand post-graduates are applying to professional schools proves this.
Professor Vu Gia Hien, rector of the Au VietIntermediate School, said that the need for industrial workers is veryhigh not only in Vietnam but also many other countries.
The General Department of Vocational Training said the country's ratioof university graduates to vocational trainees is 1:3 as against 1:10in neighbouring countries, meaning the country lacks skilled workers andtechnicians to ensure socio-economic development.
According to Ho Chi Minh City's Centre for Human Resources Forecast andLabour Information, city-based businesses will need 270,000 more workersby 2025, with 34 percent of having vocational training.-VNA
