Career training centres in the various districts of Ho Chi Minh City are presently facing a shortfall of students and many are now letting out their space to cover expenses.
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| A student practicing in an electronic repair class at the Career Training Centre in District 11, HCM City |
A staff member from the Career Training Centre in District 6 said that earlier years saw over 700 students registering for training courses. However, this year the number has dwindled to only 400.
Nguyen Van Bay, deputy director of the centre says the numbers of students enrolling has reduced by 15-17 percent each year.
Mr. Bay said that one of the reasons for this was the competition from private job training centres, which are attracting the young students. Besides, vocational schools, colleges and even universities offer short-term job training courses.
At the Career Training Centre in District 11, most equipment and machinery was out-dated. At the motorcycle repair class, there are only old motorcycles for practice, while at the information technology class all computers have low configuration and out-dated software. Several classrooms at the centre are now rented to a nearby college.
The director of another establishment said most of the centres were short of equipment and machinery or with inadequate facilities.
Representatives from several centres said that their main income came from exams held for people trying to get a motorcycle-driving license or by renting their space.
Nguyen Van Bay, deputy director of the Career Training Centre in District 6 said that centres operating ineffectively should merge with each other to avoid waste.
Relevant authorities should create advantageous conditions for centres to coordinate with businesses to train and supply workers for industrial zones and export processing zones.
Nguyen Thanh Hiep from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs says the most important thing is that the centres themselves should be proactive to reform and seek ways to develop instead of depending on State budgets.
