Nhan Dan- Dak Nong province has 115,476 young people. Of the figure, 13,650 are ethnic minority people, accounting for 11%. The number of young people living in rural areas is put at 75,951, or 68.5%.

Considering young people in general and young ethnic minority people important resources to boost the province’s socio-economic development, and to maintain national security and defence, Party organisations and authorities at all levels have always attached important to providing vocational training for them.

In development plans of Dak Nong province, local authorities have set a target of promoting its economic restructuring with industry, trade, services and construction playing dominant role in its economy.

Therefore, to increase the quality of local human resources to meet requirements of the province’s industrialisation and modernisation, since 2006, Dak Nong province has implemented a project on ‘planning a vocational training network in the 2006-2010 period and Vision 2015. So far, significant results have been achieved from the project.  

Dak Nong province boasts six vocational training establishments, providing training for people in silk printing, brocade making, rattan and bamboo article making, electronic appliance repair.

To attract young ethnic minority people to join vocational training courses, local authorities have issued priority policies, exempting tuition fees and providing accomodation supports.

In addition, they provide support equal to 100% of training costs for local young ethnic minority people, poor young people, and young people of social policy beneficiary families. Also, a support equal to 50% of training costs is provided to young residents of Dak Nong province, when they are trained by local enterprises.

These policies have helped the province attract many young ethnic minority people to vocational training schools.

Concretely, in 2006, the province had 3,197 young people attending vocational training courses. This figure increased to over 3,500 in 2007. Of the figure, the number of ethnic minority people accounted for around 50%.

However, there have been difficulties in providing vocational training for young ethnic minority people in Dak Nong province.

One of the difficulties is a shortage of training facilities and equipment, not mention the shortage of well-trained teachers and instructors at local vocational training schools.

This is because the province has yet to ensure a balance between its vocational training capability and enterprises’ need.

In addition, trainees find it difficult to find jobs after they graduate from vocational training schools. Even though some vocational training schools have made efforts to find jobs for their trainees from local factories and plants, they have only met the demand of a small number of young ethnic minority people.

On the other hand, many local young ethnic people due to poor knowledge have yet to understand that vocational training would help them self-development. Instead, they only rely on the State support. After finding it hard to find a job, many of them return to their agricultural production in their home villages.

To settle the difficulties, Dak Nong province will conduct a review and assessment of its labour market, based on which it will focus on train young people with occupations needed by the market.

In addition, the province will concentrate on promoting the development of its vocational training network to remote areas, where ethnic minority people live. Furthermore, organisations and individuals have been encouraged to open vocational training establishments.

Vocational training schools, in turn, should promote their co-operation with enterprises to find output for their training products.

Furthermore, efforts should be made by local organisations to encourage local young ethnic minority people to join vocational training. Also, further support should be provided for them, so as to help them apply what they learn to production activities, thus helping reduce hunger and poverty.

Nguyen Cong Ly