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)./.

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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

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Floods slam central coast, claiming another 19 lives

Heavy rains triggered a new round of flooding along the central coast on Sunday. As of Wednesday, the Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control reported 19 dead and six missing in the latest disaster.

Thousands of homes were flooded.

Landslides blocked numerous roads in the region, bringing traffic to a standstill.

Nam Tra My District in Quang Nam Province, for example, has been isolated for five days, because the only entrance was submerged in as much as five meters of water.

As the water levels rose on local rivers, heavy flooding spread to streets throughout the region and saturated streets in Hoi An.

Some 6,500 people were evacuated, and most local schools were closed.

The same situation was reported in Binh Dinh and Phu Yen provinces.

In Quang Ngai Province, a hill in Son Ha District collapsed on Tuesday, burying three houses, killing one child and critically injuring another two. Meanwhile, a crack 150 meters long and 1.2 meters deep was recorded nearby and threatened to widen under heavy rains, local officials said.

Rains continued across the region, but floods were expected to decrease on rivers between Thua Thien – Hue and Phu Yen provinces, the committee said in its latest report.

Since the end of September, floods in the region have killed 186 people, injured another 126 and left 26 missing, according to the committee.

Bui Minh Tang, director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF), told Thanh Nien that four disastrous floods have pummeled the region.

“It was forecast that until the end of this year, it’s very likely that central provinces will be hit by another one to two rounds of major flooding,” Tang said.

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Floods claim six lives in north central region

Floods caused by prolonged and heavy rain from Oct. 1-3, have claimed six lives, injured two others and swept away nearly 6,300 houses in central provinces from Thanh Hoa to Quang Ngai.

Ha Tinh province was the hardest hit, with four deaths and one person injured. The regulating gate of the Ho Ho hydro power plant reservoir broke down, causing water to overflow and threatening residents in the lower section.

Water levels of rivers in the region are still at alarm levels.

The Central Steering Board Committee sent instructions to those provinces to mobilise forces and facilities to cope with the calamities.

Nghe An was successful in bringing a storm-affected cargo ship with eight people on board to the mainland. Meanwhile, forces in Ha Tinh province helped move over 13,000 residents to safe places and Quang Binh moved 4,400 people away from the lower section of Ho Ho power plant’s dam, while the Northern Electricity Corporation sent crews to repair the damage.

Rescue works and flood control continue to be focused on the region./.

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