As many as 660,000 rural workers received vocational training in the period 2010-2013, mainly in husbandry and fishery, as part of the national new rural development programme, according to radio The Voice of Vietnam (VOV).

Vietnam now has approximately 25 million rural workers, of whom just 5 million have received vocational training. As farm land shrinks due to rapid urbanisation and modernisation, vocational training plays an increasingly important role because it boosts farm incomes.

Nguyen Minh Nhan, head of the personnel department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the ministry has devised rural programmes that provide both agricultural promotion and vocational training for rural labourers. They also helped farmers sell their products and services.

"The model of household production is still common in Vietnam’s rural areas, which means rural labourers are mostly involved in farm work,” Nhan said, adding the percentage of rural laborers with vocational training who have shifted to other trades remains very low.

Since 2010, the number of rural workers with vocational training has significantly increased and surpassed the ministry’s set target.

These workers have been provided with skills and advanced technologies which have increased their productivity and income.

According to Le Trong Quang, Deputy Chairman of the Lai Chau provincial People’s Committee, trained rural workers should be certified so they can sign work contracts with agricultural businesses.

Vocational training for rural labourers should be carefully planned to meet real needs and save money. Businesses and rural workers understand what kind of vocational training is needed to improve their productivity, Quang said.-VNA