Vocational and Technical Education Project

Linkage with enterprises is important in assisting students find jobs and lowering the burden among training providers. Enterprises are a key beneficiary of skilled labor and hence have direct interest in skills training. Yet, they are often skeptical of the quality of training provided by public vocational and technical education institutions because of the disconnection between the two. Without good relations with employers, schools will find it difficult to provide students with job information or align their training to employers’ needs. Some employers are actually keen on providing their own training to ensure that the skills are relevant. Although firm-specific training may not replace general skill training, schools can collaborate with enterprises to organize in-house training or recruit their employees to be the trainers for some specific skills and modules. This can benefit both the schools and the enterprises, as teachers and students are updated with new technologies, and enterprises can partner with a school to certify and upgrade skills for their workers. Together with technical training, schools should also pay attention to enhancing students’ work ethics, knowledge about their rights and responsibilities, and labor laws, as such "soft" skills are valued by employers and beneficial for the students. Furthermore, linking schooling with work-based programs through apprenticeship has the potential to help students practice their learning and obtain practical problem-solving skills. Because apprenticeships often lead to employment, they can also motivate young people to stay in school and complete their education. Apprenticeship has proven particularly successful in some contexts. In Viet Nam, schools find apprenticeship to be very important for students to find jobs after graduation (Cooking and Hotel Business Vocational Secondary School). The German dual system, which combines structured training within a company and parttime classroom, has become a model for many countries. In France, going through an apprenticeship increases the likelihood of being employed 3 years after completion.