(VOVworld) – As Vietnam integrates regionally and globally, vocational education is urgently needed to meet the demands of Vietnam’s diverse labor markets.

Vietnam had approximately 2,200 vocational training centers and colleges as of 2015. Vietnam has created vocational training incentives to improve the quality of its labor force. Dao Hong Lan, Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, said: “Universities and vocational training centers should equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to adapt quickly to any business situation. Cooperation between vocational training centers and businesses is mentioned in the Law on Vocational Training, which will be the legal basis for vocational training.”

8.6 million workers have been trained in Vietnam over the last 5 years, raising the percentage of trained workers to 51.6%, up 11.6% from 2010. Approximately 70% of the graduates of vocational training centers have found jobs or have started their own businesses. But in a time of international integration Vietnamese workers need soft skills as well as vocational training in order to find a job. To reform and develop vocational training between now and 2020, Vietnam is encouraging private investment in vocational training and developing 40 high-quality training centers.