However, many vocational schools are still lagging far behind their peers in digital transformation while schools have more than 1 year left to reach 70 percent of the goal for digital transformation.
Facing the thirst for digital human resources and the need for high-quality skills, the country in general Ho Chi Minh City in particular must have smart vocational education and training establishments to promote digital transformation in all fields.
Ho Chi Minh City-based Ly Tu Trong Technical College with over 50 occupations in the fields of technology, engineering, services, and foreign languages, including 7 key occupations at national, regional and international levels - is a shining example of digital transformation.
Ly Tu Trong Technical College Principal Pham Huu Loc said that in each specific training major, lecturers actively build and apply information technologies such as Adobe Director software in online training for automotive technology careers.
Similarly, most classes at Cao Thang Technical Colleges, Vien Dong College, Ho Chi Minh City College of Economics and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City Vocational College, Thu Duc College of Technology, Nam Sai Gon Polytechnic College and Vietnamese American College can take place anywhere as lessons are flexibly designed by teachers to create a library of digital learning materials for learners. This helps learners experience remote practice hours, but still understand machine operation procedures by using computers and smartphones.
According to the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Vocational Training Program in Vocational Education for the period 2021-2025 with an orientation to 2030 under the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 2222/QD-TTg is one of the first digital transformation projects and initiatives were approved by the Prime Minister.
After more than 2 years of implementation, the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training assessed that only nearly 40 percent of the total 1,880 vocational education establishments across the country have applied digital colleges to develop digital competencies for teachers, training programs, infrastructure, digital learning materials to digital management and administration. Therefore, it is highly likely that the proportion of vocational schools carrying out digital transformation will not reach 70 percent of the set target.
Experts pointed out many reasons for lateness in carrying out digital transformation such as inadequate policy and mechanism for vocational training.
Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, an expert on human resource forecasting in Ho Chi Minh City, noted that the Government and administrations in provinces and cities need to increase strong investment in facilities and human resources at vocational training institutions to help vocational education facilities achieve the above-mentioned goal.
Former Head of the Vocational Education Department in Ho Chi Minh City Tran Minh Su said that just about 30 percent of more than 370 vocational education establishments in Ho Chi Minh City can carry out digital transformation projects.
Facilities that have not been able to implement are still grappling with digital transformation because they have poor facilities and unsatisfactory technical infrastructure while textbooks and lectures have not been digitized, and there is no shared data system.
Vocational schools must change their thinking by viewing vocational training as a must-do in the training and management process to detect inadequacies and take advantage of technology to thoroughly resolve the endogenous inadequacies of each school. No more delays, said Pham Vu Quoc Binh, Deputy Director General of the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.
According to Deputy Director Pham Vu Quoc Binh, if teachers and learners don’t change their behaviors in teaching and learning, vocational training schools will regress in applying digital transformation. Therefore, in addition to continued implementation of the Prime Minister’s Decision 2222/QD-TTg, in the coming time, the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training will continue to advise the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to perfect institutions and policies to serve vocational colleges in the field of vocational education including standards on digital schools, digital infrastructure, digital practice rooms, digital textbooks, and digital training programs.
