Deputy PM stresses need of human resource plan

It is necessary to build a plan for human resource development to ensure the feasibility of socio-economic development plan, said Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan.

Deputy PM Nhan gave the guidance while attending a conference on human development plan for the Red River Delta provinces in the 2011-2020 period held in the northern province of Nam Dinh on Dec. 11.

He said the lack of quality human resources has been noticed for many years, but there was so far no effective solution.

The Red River Delta region has better economic strengths in comparison with other regions in the country, coupled with favourable location and conditions for development.

At present, the region has a population of about 18.5 million people with 77 percent of them aged from 15 and above. However, the Red River Delta region also faces challenges from its small acreage and a high population density, low quality of labour and the largest rate of unemployment in the country.

The overall policy to develop human resources for the Red River Delta till 2020 aims to develop education as well as vocational training and get all economic sectors involve in training, so that the rate of trained labourers in the region will increase to 50 percent by 2015 and to 60 percent by 2020.

By 2020, the unemployment rate in the region is expected to be 3.5-4 percent in urban areas and the rate of real working time in rural areas will be raised to 90 percent.

The conference was jointly held by the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Nam Dinh provincial People’s Committee with the participation of representatives from relevant ministries, sectors, agencies and 11 cities and provinces in the region (Hanoi, Hai Phong, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Ha Nam, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Ninh Binh, Vinh Phuc, Bac Ninh and Quang Ninh)./.

Related Articles

• Wintek to build display module plant in Vietnam: source
• Taiwan firm to make touch screens at Vietnam plant
• $820.7 mln G-bonds issue plan faces risk of failure
• Viet Nam and China sign pack on human trafficking
• North should ensure sustainable growth

Deputy PM advises Delta to focus on human resource

CAN THO — Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan has called on Can Tho city and the 12 provinces in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta to tailor human-resource development plans to their economic strengths and potential.

Speaking at a meeting held in Can Tho last Saturday by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) to discuss HR planning for the region for the next decade, Nhan said it must ensure the full potential is developed to turn the Delta into a key economic hub.

The region has nearly 18 million people and 10 million are of working age.

But the proportion of trained workers is low compared to other regions, according to the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) – 34 per cent have not completed primary school while 0.9 per cent have college diplomas and 2.1 per cent have university degrees. The national average for university degrees is 10 per cent of the workforce.

Nhan pointed out that though the Delta was the country's rice granary and had a major seafood industry, the enrolment rate in the agriculture and forestry faculties at universities was very low.

In fact, only 10.4 per cent of students in the region's 12 universities studied agriculture or forestry.

To put it in perspective, the rate was 31.7 per cent for economy, finance, and banking, he said.

To encourage students to study agriculture, forestry and some other unpopular streams like culture, physical training, and sports, Nhan said the universities should soon expand these faculties or set up universities and colleges dedicated to them.

More training

The MoET has said it will set up more schools to meet the target of increasing the rate of trained workers from the current 23.5 per cent to 45 per cent in 2015 and 60 per cent in 2020.

Local administrations have promised to set up 10-12 new universities, 22-24 colleges, and 10 vocational schools to ratio of college and university students to 2 per cent in 2020 compared to the current 0.85 per cent.

At the meeting, delegates said the region needed more architecture, law, culture, and technology universities and polytechnics.

It was also necessary to upgrade some existing institutions like the Tra Vinh Province Medical College, the Mien Tay Construction College into universities, they said.

Nhan ordered MoET and MPI to work with authorities in the region to make zoning plans for building universities, colleges, and vocational schools.

He also urged the region to report their HR plans by December 15 to the MPI, which would in turn report them to the Government by January. — VNS

Related Articles

• Imbalances create worker shortages
• Viet Nam and China sign pack on human trafficking
• Jail for human traffickers
• Wrong diagnoses almost kill two in delta hospital
• Vietnam asks donors for continued assistance

Da Nang aims for hi-tech city status by 2015

The central city of Da Nang is striving to become a hi-tech city by 2015 with IT human resource growth of 5-10 percent and the number of software businesses increasing by 30 percent.

These targets were revealed at a conference on Da Nang city’s master plan on IT human resource development, held in the city on October 20.

The city has also set a target of earning around 50 million USD per annum from software exports by 2015.

However, participants at the conference pointed out Da Nang ’s shortcomings in IT human resource development, including lack of experienced IT experts and weak planning capacity.

They also put foward objectives and strategies for the city’s IT human resource development, focusing on meeting the personnel demands of State agencies and businesses.

Conference participants said the city should firstly concentrate on developing the capacity of e-government and software technologies, as well as building an open IT system and strengthening standards, systems and networks.

In the 2010-2020 period, Da Nang should prioritise four major aspects to give its IT development a strong foundation, including e-service, e-government, strategic management of IT and boosting the software industry./.

Related Articles

• Market plunges for third straight day
• PM sets agenda for insolvent shipbuilder
• Competition serves sustainable agenda
• Xin Chao upgrades city’s circus theater for new show
• Hanoi T&T win first V-League after scoreless draw

Labour planning vital to economy

HA NOI — Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said ministries and localities must be more active in predicting labour supply and demand at all levels, and their human resource planning must play a central role in the country's economic planning.

He made the request during an online meeting with 63 provinces and cities, and ministries and agencies on vocational training and human resource forecasting until 2020.

The more the economy developed, the higher the demand for workers was and the shorter the supply, Nhan said. The country's development required specific and feasible human resource development strategies, he added.

But ministries and localities had not paid enough attention to the issue, Nhan stressed.

He gave an example: by 2015, enterprises in the Vung Anh Economic Zone in the central province of Ha Tinh would need 35,000 workers, but it would be difficult for them to recruit such a large number.

Duong Duc Lan, deputy director of the Department of Vocational Training under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said the shortage of labour could be seen in market research, marketing, electrical engineers, processing and service sectors.

Technical workers in agriculture, forestry, fisheries and mechanical engineering were in serious short supply, he added.

To solve the problem, Nhan said enterprises needed to define reasonable wages and localities should set aside land funds to build houses for workers.

These were critical issues that would help workers focus on their long-term prospects, especially those in key economic zones, he said.

A lack of an appropriate workforce must not act as a brake on economic development, Nhan stressed.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Bui Van Ga said besides predictions related to unskilled and technical workers, it was also necessary to forecast the demand for professionals with university and post-graduate qualifications.

Ministries and localities must take into account the development speed of the science and technology sector and its effect on demand for labour to have precise forecast, Ga said.

Deputy director of the ministry's Employment Department Nguyen Thi Hai Van said:"For a long time, we just paid attention to foreseeing labour supply but not demand. This has left many vocational schools confused about what kind of vocational training they should offer as priority."

Nhan asked ministries and localities to conduct research and rapidly establish forecast centres, as well as issue suitable employment policies regarding wages and housing in order to attract talented people.

He asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment by August 31 to have issued detailed guidance to help other ministries and localities develop human resource planning.

In November this year at the latest, ministries and localities must have a human resource plan for the 2011-15 period and orientation until 2020 prepared so that a human resource master plan could be submitted to the Government by December this year. — VNS

Related Articles

• IFC: Vietnam needs to increase PPP to support economy
• Capital needs to modernise
• Workshop calls for longer-term plans to audit State entities
• Assoc insists on power price hike despite protests
• Crackdown on mooncake hygiene